What Language Is Spoken In The Philippines?

The Two Official Languages of the Philippines

The Philippines has two official languages:

Language	Status	Where It’s Used
🇵🇭 Filipino	National Language	Schools, media, everyday communication
🇺🇸 English	Co-Official Language	Government, business, newspapers, legal system

✅ Most Filipinos are bilingual, speaking both Filipino and English, along with their regional language.

Many people confuse Filipino with Tagalog, but they’re not exactly the same.

Language	Description
Tagalog	A native Austronesian language spoken in Manila and nearby provinces.
Filipino	An updated version of Tagalog with words from English, Spanish, and other Philippine languages.

In 1937, Tagalog was chosen as the national language.
In 1973, it was renamed Filipino to make it more inclusive of other Philippine languages.
Filipino now includes loanwords from Spanish, English, Malay, and Chinese.

✅ If you speak Tagalog, you’ll easily understand Filipino!

Besides Filipino and English, several regional languages are widely spoken:

Language	Region Where Spoken
Cebuano (Bisaya)	Central Visayas, Mindanao
Ilocano	Northern Luzon
Hiligaynon (Ilonggo)	Western Visayas
Bicolano	Bicol Region
Waray	Eastern Visayas
Kapampangan	Central Luzon
Pangasinan	Pangasinan province
Maguindanao	Muslim Mindanao
Tausug	Sulu, Mindanao
Chavacano	Zamboanga (Spanish-based creole)

✅ Around 90% of Filipinos speak one of these 10 major languages at home!

The Philippines was a Spanish colony for 300 years (1565–1898), and Spanish heavily influenced local languages:

Chavacano is a Spanish-based creole spoken in Zamboanga.
Spanish was an official language until 1987 but is now only spoken by a small number of Filipinos.

✅ Even today, Filipinos use many Spanish words in daily conversation!

"Can you make hatid me later?" (Can you take me home later?)
"Ang init naman dito, let’s go sa mall." (It’s so hot here, let’s go to the mall.)

✅ The Philippines is one of the world’s largest English-speaking countries!

Because of migration and trade, many foreign languages are spoken in the Philippines:

Language	Spoken By
Chinese (Hokkien, Cantonese, Mandarin)	Filipino-Chinese communities
Arabic	Muslim communities in Mindanao
Japanese	Small Japanese communities
Hindi, Tamil, Sindhi	Indian-Filipino communities
Korean	Growing Korean expat population

✅ Filipino-Chinese families often speak Hokkien at home, while Arabic is used in Islamic schools.

Despite its language diversity, the Philippines remains united through Filipino and English as lingua francas.
Filipinos code-switch between languages, often mixing Filipino, English, and regional dialects.

✅ If you travel to the Philippines, knowing basic Filipino phrases + English will help you communicate anywhere!

The official languages are Filipino and English.

Not exactly. Filipino is based on Tagalog but includes words from English, Spanish, and other Philippine languages.

Yes! The Philippines is one of the most English-proficient countries in Asia.

Spanish is no longer widely spoken, but many Filipino words and surnames come from Spanish.

✅ Filipino (Tagalog) for Manila and Luzon.
✅ Cebuano for Cebu and Visayas.
✅ English is widely spoken, so you’ll be fine with that!