tanggi
tanggí with stress marks
refusal; denial; to deny
Usage Note
Tanggi can refer to a polite refusal or a firm denial. In Filipino culture where direct refusal can feel impolite, tanggi often appears in softened forms or indirect contexts — one might use hindi matanggap (cannot accept) rather than a blunt tanggian kita.
Examples
" Masakit ang kanyang tanggi. "
Natural Translation
His refusal hurts.
Literal Translation
Painful the his refusal.
" Masakit ang kanyang tanggi sa aking alok. "
Natural Translation
His/her refusal to my offer is painful.
Literal Translation
Painful the his/her refusal to my offer.
" Hindi inaasahan ang kanyang tanggi sa alok, kaya't napatahimik kaming lahat sa loob ng silid. "
Natural Translation
His refusal of the offer was unexpected, so all of us fell silent inside the room.
Literal Translation
Not expected the his refusal to offer, so fell-silent we all inside of room.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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