Skip to content

santo

sánto with stress marks

male saint

noun SAN-to Spanish origin Common

Usage Note

Santo is the Spanish-derived title for a canonized male saint and is woven throughout Philippine Catholic life — in town names, street signs, church fiestas, and daily devotion. It is used respectfully in both religious and secular contexts. The feminine counterpart is santa.

Examples

Beginner

" Mabait na santo siya. "

Natural Translation

He is a kind saint.

Literal Translation

Kind saint he.

Intermediate

" Gusto ng bata na tularan ang isang santo sa kanyang kabaitan. "

Natural Translation

The child wants to imitate a male saint in his kindness.

Literal Translation

Want of child to imitate the a male saint in his/her kindness.

Advanced

" Tuwing pista ng aming bayan, idinaraos ang prusisyon kung saan pinaparada ang imahe ng santo sa mga lansangan. "

Natural Translation

During our town's fiesta, a procession is held where the image of the saint is paraded through the streets.

Literal Translation

Every fiesta of our town, is-held the procession where is-paraded the image of saint in the streets.

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.