Usage Note
Gitaw describes the act of surfacing or emerging — coming up from below the surface of water, or appearing from concealment. It is used both literally (a swimmer or fish surfacing) and figuratively (an issue or memory resurfacing). The verb 'lumitaw' is more common in everyday speech, but gitaw appears in literary and regional contexts.
Examples
" Gumitaw ang isda. "
Natural Translation
The fish surfaced.
Literal Translation
Surfaced the fish.
" Ang gitaw ng isda sa tubig ay mabilis. "
Natural Translation
The surfacing of the fish in the water is fast.
Literal Translation
The surface of fish in water is fast.
" Pagkatapos ng mahabang paglubog, biglang gumitaw sa ibabaw ng tubig ang maninisid na halos maubusan na ng hininga. "
Natural Translation
After a long dive, the diver, almost out of breath, suddenly surfaced above the water.
Literal Translation
After of long submersion, suddenly surfaced on top of water the diver that almost out-of already of breath.
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 workActor Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Tagalog Numbers 1-100: Counting, Time & Money Explained
Learn Tagalog numbers 1-100 and beyond. Master both native and Spanish-derived counting systems, plus telling time, reading prices, and ordinals.
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.
Tagalog Word Order: Sentence Structure Made Simple
Why Tagalog puts the verb first, and how ang, ng, and sa markers work. A clear guide to VSO word order, forming questions, and negation.
Tagalog Slang Guide: 20 Words You'll Hear on TikTok
Tagalog slang explained: lodi, petmalu, werpa, astig, chika and more. Decode Filipino TikTok comments, group chats, and pop culture with this practical guide.