yaya
yáya with stress marks
nanny; nursemaid
Usage Note
Yaya is borrowed from Spanish and refers to a domestic worker who specifically cares for young children. Having a yaya is common across many income levels in the Philippines, and the bond between a child and their yaya is often long-lasting and deeply affectionate.
Examples
" Mabait ang yaya namin. "
Natural Translation
Our nanny is kind.
Literal Translation
Kind the nanny our.
" Ang yaya namin ay mahal na mahal ng aming mga anak. "
Natural Translation
Our nanny is deeply loved by our children.
Literal Translation
The nanny our is very-loved of-the our children.
" Ang yaya na nag-alaga sa akin noong bata pa ako ay itinuturing kong parang ikalawang ina. "
Natural Translation
The nanny who took care of me when I was little is someone I consider like a second mother.
Literal Translation
The nanny who took-care to me when child still I is considered by-me like second mother.
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 workRelated Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
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.
Mano Po and Filipino Etiquette: A Visitor's Guide
Mano po presses an elder's hand to your forehead as a blessing. Learn who to mano, how to lip-point, and the etiquette that wins over a Filipino family.
Tagalog Slang Guide: 20 Words You'll Hear on TikTok
Tagalog slang explained: lodi, petmalu, werpa, astig, chika and more. Decode Filipino TikTok comments, group chats, and pop culture with this practical guide.
Seasons in the Philippines: A Tagalog Guide
The Philippines has two seasons, not four. Learn tag-araw, tag-ulan, and taglamig, the generative tag- prefix, and the weather vocabulary to match.