Skip to content

tokayo

tokáyo with stress marks

namesake

noun to-KA-yo Spanish origin Less Common

Usage Note

Tokayo comes from Spanish tocayo and refers to someone who shares the same first name as another person. Filipinos delight in discovering tokayos, and the discovery often serves as an instant conversation opener and a source of warmth between strangers.

Examples

Beginner

" Tokayo kita pala! "

Natural Translation

It turns out we're namesakes!

Literal Translation

Namesake I-you it-turns-out!

Intermediate

" Si Juan ay aking tokayo. "

Natural Translation

Juan is my namesake.

Literal Translation

Juan is my namesake.

Advanced

" Tuwing may makikilala akong tokayo, parang may agad na koneksiyon kaming dalawa kahit di pa magkakilala. "

Natural Translation

Whenever I meet a namesake, the two of us seem to have an instant connection even though we don't know each other yet.

Literal Translation

Whenever has meet I namesake, like has immediately link we two even-though not yet know-each-other.

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.