Skip to content

katay

kátay with stress marks

butcher; slaughter

noun verb KA-tay Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Katay as a noun refers to the act of butchering and as a verb means to slaughter or dress an animal for food. It is a practical, everyday term used in wet markets, farms, and kitchens. Slaughtering a pig for a fiesta (katayin ang baboy) is a well-known Filipino festive tradition.

Examples

Beginner

" Katay na ang baboy. "

Natural Translation

The pig has already been slaughtered.

Literal Translation

Butchered already the pig.

Intermediate

" Ang katay ng baboy ay matatapos na. "

Natural Translation

The slaughtering of the pig is about to finish.

Literal Translation

The butcher of pig is will-finish now.

Advanced

" Tuwing may pista sa aming nayon, maaga pa lang ay nagsisimula na ang katay ng baboy para sa lahat ng bisita. "

Natural Translation

Whenever there's a fiesta in our village, the slaughtering of the pig begins early in the morning for all the guests.

Literal Translation

Whenever has fiesta in our village, early still just begins already the butcher of pig for all the guests.

Free · iOS & Android

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 work

Actor Focus Verbs

Object Focus Verbs

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.