ugali
ugalî with stress marks
custom; habit; ways
Usage Note
Ugali is one of the most culturally loaded Tagalog words, encompassing a person's character, manner, habits, and ingrained behaviors. Parents frequently invoke it when correcting children: 'Ano yan, ugali mo ba iyan?' ('Is that how you behave?'). It reflects not just individual habit but the moral and social expectations embedded in Filipino upbringing.
Examples
" Mabait ang ugali niya. "
Natural Translation
She has a kind nature.
Literal Translation
Kind the manner her.
" Mabuti ang ugali ng batang iyon. "
Natural Translation
That child has good manners.
Literal Translation
Good the manners of-the child that.
" Mahirap baguhin ang ugali ng isang tao kapag matagal na itong nakagisnan mula pagkabata. "
Natural Translation
It's hard to change a person's ways once they've been ingrained since childhood.
Literal Translation
Hard to-change the manner of a person when long already this grown-up-with from childhood.
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