gaan
gaán with stress marks
lightness (weight)
Usage Note
Gaan is most commonly used as 'magaan' (light) to describe physical weight or tasks that are easy to do. It also appears in the cultural idiom 'magaan ang loob,' which refers to having a natural liking for someone or feeling comfortable in their presence.
Examples
" Magaan ang bag ko. "
Natural Translation
My bag is light.
Literal Translation
Light the bag my.
" Ang gaan ng pakiramdam ko ngayon. "
Natural Translation
I feel light today.
Literal Translation
Lightness of feeling my today.
" Magaan ang loob ko sa kanya kaya madali akong nagkukuwento ng mga problema ko. "
Natural Translation
I feel comfortable with her, so I easily open up about my problems.
Literal Translation
Light the inside my to her so easy I-link tell of [plural] problem my.
Take Tagalog with you
The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workDerived Words
Actor Focus Verbs
Object Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Tagalog vs Filipino: What's the Difference & Which to Learn
Tagalog and Filipino aren't the same language — but they overlap almost completely. Here's the real difference and which one you should actually learn.
How to Say Sorry in Tagalog: Patawad vs Pasensya
How to say sorry in Tagalog: patawad, pasensya na, and paumanhin compared on a simple severity-and-formality ladder so you pick the right word every time.
Po and Opo in Tagalog: Where to Put Them Right
Po and opo confuse learners — but placement follows one rule. Where po goes in a sentence, why it's opo not 'oo po', and the pronoun shift to learn.
Spaced Repetition for Tagalog: How Flashcards Make Words Stick
Cramming Tagalog vocabulary fails. See how spaced repetition — the science behind smart flashcards — makes words stick for the long term.