Tagalog Vowels

The following vowels are used in native Tagalog words. The underlined vowels are long vowels.

vowel

examples

corresponding sounds in English

IPA symbols

a

aga  

palm, about

[a], [ə]

e

ere  

whey, dress

[e], [ɛ]

i

igi  

happy, kit

[i], [ɪ]

o

oso  

row, thought

[o], [ɔ]

u

uso  , usa  

goose, put

[u], [ʊ]

vowel

a

examples

aga  

corresponding sounds in English

palm, about

IPA symbols

[a], [ə]

vowel

e

examples

ere  

corresponding sounds in English

whey, dress

IPA symbols

[e], [ɛ]

vowel

i

examples

igi  

corresponding sounds in English

happy, kit

IPA symbols

[i], [ɪ]

vowel

o

examples

oso  

corresponding sounds in English

row, thought

IPA symbols

[o], [ɔ]

vowel

u

examples

uso  , usa  

corresponding sounds in English

goose, put

IPA symbols

[u], [ʊ]

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From Essential Tagalog Grammar: A Reference for Learners of Tagalog, Second Edition
By Fiona De Vos

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