Skip to content

oranggutan

oranggután with stress marks

orangutan; great ape

noun o-rang-gu-TAN Malay origin Less Common

Usage Note

Oranggutan is borrowed from Malay 'orang utan,' literally meaning forest person, and refers to the large arboreal primate native to Borneo and Sumatra. The Malay origin connects the word to the broader Austronesian linguistic heritage shared by Tagalog, and the animal is recognized in the Philippines as an endangered species.

Examples

Beginner

" May oranggutan sa palabas. "

Natural Translation

There is an orangutan in the show.

Literal Translation

Has orangutan in show.

Intermediate

" Nakita namin ang isang oranggutan sa zoo. "

Natural Translation

We saw an orangutan in the zoo.

Literal Translation

Saw we the one orangutan in zoo.

Advanced

" Ipinaliwanag ng gabay na ang oranggutan ay nanganganib nang mawala dahil sa patuloy na pagkasira ng kanilang likas na tirahan. "

Natural Translation

The guide explained that the orangutan is in danger of disappearing because of the continued destruction of their natural habitat.

Literal Translation

Explained by-guide that the orangutan is in-danger to disappear because of continuous destruction of their natural habitat.

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.