Baybayin
Translation Tips
(Mga Payo)
Baybayin symbols differ from the English alphabet. With Baybayin, each
symbol represents a syllable, while each character in the English alphabet
represents a sound. What complicates matters is that not all sounds found
Baybayin in the English language (or others) are represented in the Baybayin script.
greeting cards There are also few rules to follow as far as using the Baybayin script with
now available Tagalog words.
at the
eaglescorner.com Though I'm no expert in Baybayin, I've compiled the following tips to help
online store. you use my Baybayin CGI-script translator better. Most of these tips are
based on my best "guesstimates" and are not based on any books or
studies. A few of the tips found here are from the generous help given by
Hector Santos, and are duly noted. If you wish to learn more about the
Baybayin Script and other ancient Filipino scripts, go to Hector's website
at http://www.bibingka.com.
A B K D E G H I L M N NG O P S T U W Y
Where is the "R" you say? The letter "R", though part of the modern
Tagalog alphabet, is not represented in the Baybayin. Originally, I thought
that the equivalent of the letter "R" was the letter "L", but as Hector Santos
writes:
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The Tagalog word for singer would be "mang-a-awit" and the CGI-script
would translate this properly as "ma a a wi", giving you the following
symbols:
However, if you enter the word without the hyphens, "mangaawit", the
CGI-script would translate it as "ma nga a wi", giving you the following
symbols:
Words that are doubled are also hyphenated. Words like "ilang-ilang" are
translated differently than if the hyphen were left out.
Spell It As It Is Pronounced
Some words you may need to play with a little. If you use the original
Baybayin script, the word "ng" will not be printed and the word "mga" will
be printed as "ga". Type in "nang" and "manga" to get the proper
translation.
Be careful to spell words like "tanggap," "linggo" and other words with the
"nga-ga" combination properly. I notice many people misspell these words
as "tangap" or "lingo." This would produce an incorrect result. Eventhough
"Lea Salonga" is the proper spelling of a famous singer's name, using
Baybayin, it should be spelled as "Le-ya Sa-long-ga."
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A B K D E G H I L M N NG O P R S T U W Y
Many sounds that are used in the English language are not found in
Tagalog. I have come up with the following table to help you find (what I
believe to be) the closest sounding match.
Sound or
Translation Tips
Character
"C" If followed by anything but an "I" or an "E",
use the letter "K".
"CI" or
Use "SI" or "SE".
"CE"
"CEI" Use "SI".
"CH" I have no direct translation for the "CH"
sound found in the word "church", but you
may use the letter "K" in place of the "CH"
found in the word "Christian".
"F" Use the letter "P".
"J" or The closest sound I can find in Tagalog is
"G" as in the "diya" sound, where "jacket" becomes
"George" "diyaket" and "Joel" becomes "Diyo-el" or
"Diyowel". "George" would become
"Diyords" If used as part of a Spanish word,
"J" would become an "H".
"Q" Use the letter "K".
"SH" The best I could come up with is to replace
the "SH" with "SIY". For example, type in
the word "shampoo" as "siyampu". If the
"SH" is found at the end of a word,
replacing "SH" with the letter "S" should
work.
"V" Use the letter "B".
"X" I have no suggestions for this sound.
"Z" Use the letter "Z".
company - kampani
bathroom - batrum
candy - kendi
Joseph - Diyosep
universe - yunibers
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