saya
sayá with stress marks
happiness; joy; merry
Also means
Saya can also mean a traditional long skirt worn by Filipino women.
Usage Note
Sayá is most commonly used as the adjective 'masaya' to describe both a person's mood and a lively atmosphere. You'll often hear the exclamation 'Ang saya!' used in daily conversation to express that an event or experience is very fun.
Examples
" Ang saya ng pista! "
Natural Translation
The fiesta is so much fun!
Literal Translation
The happiness of fiesta!
" Ang saya ng aking kaarawan. "
Natural Translation
My birthday is so much fun.
Literal Translation
The happiness of my birthday.
" Kahit pagod na kami sa biyahe, hindi mawala ang saya namin dahil magkakasama ang buong pamilya. "
Natural Translation
Even though we're tired from the trip, our joy doesn't fade because the whole family is together.
Literal Translation
Even tired already we from trip, not disappear the happiness our because together the whole family.
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 workDerived Words
Actor Focus Verbs
Object 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.
Po and Opo in Tagalog: Where to Put Them Right
Po and opo confuse learners — but placement follows one rule. Where po goes in a sentence, why it's opo not 'oo po', and the pronoun shift to learn.