Skip to content

utusan

utusán with stress marks

servant; domestic worker

noun u-tu-SAN DERIVED Derived origin Less Common

From root: utos

Usage Note

Utusan is derived from 'utos' (command) and traditionally referred to a household servant or errand person. The term has been largely replaced by more respectful words like 'kasambahay', but utusan persists in historical texts and casual speech, sometimes carrying a demeaning tone that learners should be aware of.

Examples

Beginner

" Mabait ang utusan namin. "

Natural Translation

Our servant is kind.

Literal Translation

Kind the servant our.

Intermediate

" Hindi siya basta utusan lamang — siya ang pinagkakatiwalaang katulong ng pamilya. "

Natural Translation

He/She's not just a servant — he/she is the family's trusted helper.

Literal Translation

Not he/she merely servant only — he/she the trusted helper of-the family.

Advanced

" Noong unang panahon, maraming mayamang pamilya ang may utusang gumagawa ng halos lahat ng gawaing-bahay. "

Natural Translation

In the old days, many wealthy families had servants who did almost all the household chores.

Literal Translation

In-the first time, many wealthy family the with servant doing of almost all of housework.

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

Word family

utos has 2 related forms built from the same root.

See all

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.