Since 1957, Filipino is the national language of the Philippines. This language is used in schools and universities.  English is widely used, too. The Filipino alphabet has changed over the years.  The last change was in 1987 when the letters ch, ll and rr were taken out of the alphabet.  Below you will see the Filipino alphabet and how these letters are pronounced.

The letters C, F, J, Ñ, Q, V, X and Z are not used in every day speech.  They are only used in proper names and nouns, scientific and technical terms, and words native to other languages of the Philippines.

Filipino Alphabet

Filipino Language

The Filipino language is based on the Tagalog language.  The Tagalog language is the native language of the Philippines.  Today, many people say the two languages are the same.  Tagalog has many Spanish and American words.  Most Filipinos say Tagalog and English words when they speak.  When these words from two languages are used together in sentences, the language is called Taglish.  The Filipino language continues to change with the addition of foreign words and English words.

Online Tagalog lessons for kids: dinolingo.com