20+ Differences Between Tagalog And Filipino  (Explained)

The Philippines is a democratic republic country in South Asia situated in the Western Pacific ocean. Tagalog and Filipino are the two languages that are widely spoken in the Philippines.

Tagalog is comparatively an older language, whereas Filipino is an emerging language. Talking about the present, Filipino is the official language of the Philippines. It was made the official language in the year 1987. 

You would be surprised to know that Filipino was developed on the basis of Tagalog. Tagalog has been the official language of the Philippines since 1897.

Along with Filipino, Tagalog is the base for several languages like Ilokano, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, etc. Filipino is like the updated version of Tagalog. 

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Key Differences –

Tagalog –

  1. Tagalog has been spoken up for about more than 100 years. 
  2. Tagalog has 20 letters. 
  3. Tagalog is mainly spoken by the older generation in the Philippines. 
  4. Tagalog is an ethnic language and is widely spoken in Manila. 
  5. Tagalog is a difficult language to learn compared with Filipino. 

Filipino –

  1. Filipino has come into play only for a few years. 
  2. Filipino has 28 letters. 
  3. Filipino is mainly spoken by the younger generation in the Philippines. 
  4. Filipino is the official language of the Philippines. 
  5. Filipino is an easier language to learn compared with Tagalog. 

Comparison Between Tagalog And Filipino

ParameterTagalogFilipino
National LanguageTagalog was the national language of the Philippines in 1897. Filipino is the national language of the Philippines since 1987.
LettersTagalog has 20 letters. Filipino has 28 letters
Used byTagalog is mainly used by the older generation. Filipino is mainly used by the younger generation. 
Blend ofTagalog is an original language. Filipino has a blend of Tagalog, Chinese, Spanish, English and Hindi. 
In useIn use for more than 100 years. In use for more than 25 years. 

Differences Between Tagalog And Filipino

What exactly is Tagalog?

Tagalog is a widely spoken language in the Philippines. It once was the national language of the Philippines. This language has been used by people for over 100 years. It is the basis for many languages, along with Filipino. 

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Features of Tagalog are –

  1. The Tagalog language was started by TAGA – ILOG ethnic community. 
  2. More than a 100-year-old language. 
  3. The base for many other emerging languages. 
  4. Still widely used by the people of the Philippines. 
  5. Tagalog follows strict rules in vocabulary and grammar. 
  6. Tagalog is a difficult language to learn. 

What exactly is Filipino?

Filipino is the official language of the Philippines. It was formed on the basis of an older language, i.e., Tagalog, along with the addition of some of the letters and words of Spanish, Chinese, and English.

Filipino is an emerging language that has been used for 25 + years.

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Features of Filipino are –

  1. The official language of the Philippines. 
  2. Filipino has 28 letters. 
  3. Filipino is an easy language to learn. 
  4. Filipino is a mix of Tagalog, Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, and English. 
  5. An Updated version of the Tagalog language. 
  6. Also written as “Philippino.”

The Contrast Between Tagalog And Filipino

Origin of the word

  • Tagalog – The word Tagalog originated from the word “taga – ilog” where “taga” means “native” and “ilog” means “river”. 
  • Filipino – The word Filipino originated from the term “Las Islas Filipinas,” meaning “the Philippine Islands.” 

Definition

  • Tagalog – Tagalog has been in use for hundreds of years ago. It is a widely used language in the Philippines. It is an original language formed by an ethnic community called TAGA – ILOG. It once was the national language of the Philippines in 1897. 
  • Filipino – Filipino is the current national language of the Philippines. It has been formed on the basis of the Tagalog language and is also known as the younger version of Tagalog. 

Official language

  • Tagalog – Tagalog was the official language of the Philippines in 1897. 
  • Filipino – Filipino has been the national language of the Philippines since 1987. 

Number of Letters

  • Tagalog – Tagalog has 20 letters. 
  • Filipino – Filipino has 28 letters. 

Letters

  • TagalogAa, Bb, Kk, Dd, Ee, Gg, Hh, Ii, Ll, Mm, Nn, NGng, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Ww, Yy. 
  • Filipino – Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Ññ, NGng, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Difficulty level

  • Tagalog – Tagalog is difficult to understand. 
  • Filipino – Filipino is comparatively easier to understand. 

Users

  • Tagalog – Tagalog is mainly used by the older generation. 
  • Filipino – Filipino is mainly used by the younger generation. 

Conclusion

Tagalog and Filipino are the two widely used languages in the Philippines. Tagalog is more than 100 years old, while Filipino is a relatively newer language.

Tagalog has been the official language of the Philippines since 1897, but in 1987, Filipino replaced Tagalog and became the official language of the Philippines.

Tagalog is largely a part of the Filipino language, along with a little bit of touch of Spanish, Chinese, and English. Filipino is the updated and better version of Tagalog.

The major difference between Tagalog and Filipino is only that Tagalog is an older language, and Filipino is the younger and better version of Tagalog. 


(FAQs) Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are some of the languages spoken in the Philippines apart from these two?

There are multiple languages spoken in the Philippines apart from Tagalog and Filipino, some of which are Maranao, Ivatan, Sambal, Pangasinan, etc. 

Q2. Are Tagalog and Filipino same?

One can say they are the same; the only difference is that Filipino has some modifications.

Filipino is largely based on Tagalog, but with the addition of Spanish, Chinese and English, it is just modified into a better version of Tagalog. 

Q3. Which language is easier to learn?

The language Filipino is easier to learn as compared to the language Tagalog because Filipino has an easier vocabulary than Tagalog.

Also, the introduction of words in Spanish and English makes it easier than in Tagalog. 


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