Skip to content

manliligaw

manliligáw with stress marks

suitor

noun man-li-li-GAW Derived origin Less Common
Illustration of "manliligaw" (suitor)

Usage Note

Manliligaw is derived from 'ligaw' (to court) with the mang- prefix and reduplication, referring to a man who is courting a woman in a traditional Filipino setting. Filipino courtship often involves serenading, gift-giving, and seeking approval from the woman's family, making this word culturally significant.

Examples

Beginner

" May manliligaw ang ate ko. "

Natural Translation

My older sister has a suitor.

Literal Translation

Has suitor the older-sister my.

Intermediate

" Nagdala ng mga bulaklak ang manliligaw para sa kanya. "

Natural Translation

The suitor brought flowers for him/her.

Literal Translation

Brought of [mga] flowers the suitor for to him/her.

Advanced

" Bago tanggapin ng dalaga ang kanyang manliligaw, hinihintay muna niya ang pagsang-ayon ng kanyang mga magulang. "

Natural Translation

Before the young woman accepts her suitor, she first waits for her parents' approval.

Literal Translation

Before to-accept of young-woman the her suitor, waits first she the approval of her [mga] parents.

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

Explore Tagalog by topic

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