gawi
gawî with stress marks
direction; custom; habit
Usage Note
Gawi carries a dual meaning of physical direction ('sa gawi ng silangan' — toward the east) and behavioral tendency or habit ('gawi niya iyan' — that's his habit). The behavioral sense is more common in everyday speech, where it describes ingrained customs, tendencies, or mannerisms passed down through family or culture.
Examples
" Iyan ang gawi niya. "
Natural Translation
That's his habit.
Literal Translation
That the habit his.
" Maganda ang gawi ng batang iyon. "
Natural Translation
That child's habit is good.
Literal Translation
Beautiful the custom of child-that that.
" Mahirap baguhin ang gawi ng isang tao kung matagal na niya itong sinanay mula pa noong bata siya. "
Natural Translation
It is hard to change a person's habit if he has long practiced it since he was a child.
Literal Translation
Hard to-change the habit of one person if long already he this practiced from still when child he.
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 workRelated Words
- AWOL absence without leave
- Amboy short for American boy
- Ati ethnolinguistic group in Panay
- Balbalan ethnolinguistic group (Kalinga)
- Hiligaynon ethnolinguistic group/language
- Ilokana female native of the Ilocos region; Ilokana woman
- Ilokano Ethnolinguistic group in Ilocos
- Ilonggo Language/People of Western Visayas
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.
Tagalog Pronouns Explained: Complete Chart with Examples
Every Tagalog pronoun explained with clear charts: ang/ng/sa forms, tayo vs kami, ikaw vs ka, politeness markers, and the mistakes beginners make.
Days of the Week and Months in Tagalog
The days of the week and months in Tagalog are Spanish loanwords. Learn all 7 days and 12 months with pronunciation, plus how to say dates and 'every Monday.'
Magkano: How to Ask "How Much" in Tagalog
Magkano means how much in Tagalog. Learn to ask a price, tell it apart from ilan and gaano, sound polite with po, and haggle at the palengke.