tatlo (Tagalog)

Where does "tatlo" come from?

The Tagalog word "tatlo," meaning "three," traces its origins back to the ancient Proto-Austronesian term *ta-təlu. It evolved through Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and Proto-Philippine stages, eventually becoming the base for various cognates across the Philippines and the wider Austronesian region, from Fiji to Madagascar. This linguistic journey highlights a deep, shared history that links hundreds of languages across the Pacific through a common ancestral root for the number three.

Full etymology tree

• tatlo (Tagalog), 'three'
  • inherited *tatlu (Proto-Central Philippine)
    • inherited *tatlu (Proto-Philippine)
      • inherited *ta-təlu (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)
        • inherited *ta-təlu (Proto-Austronesian)
          • derived *təlu (Proto-Austronesian), 'three'
            • inherited *tədu (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)
              • compound *tə- (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)
              • compound *duSa (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)
                • compound *du- (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)
                • compound *əsa (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)

Ancestors

• *təlu (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)
• *təlu (Proto-Austronesian)

Cognates and doublets

• tatlo (Aklanon)
• tolo (Amis)
• tulo (Bikol Central)
• tulo (Cebuano)
• tulu (Chamorro)
• tolu (Fijian)
• tatulo (Higaonon)
• tatlo (Hiligaynon)
• tallo (Ilocano)
• ꦠꦼꦭꦸ (Javanese)
• telu (Maguindanao)
• telo (Malagasy)

Descendants and derived words

• animnapu't tatlo (Tagalog)
• apatnapu't tatlo (Tagalog)
• dalawampu't tatlo (Tagalog)
• ikalabintatlo (Tagalog)
• ikalabintatlo (Tagalog)
• ikatatlumpu (Tagalog)
• ikatatlumpu (Tagalog)
• ikatlo (Tagalog)
• ikatlo (Tagalog)
• kamakatlo (Tagalog)
• Katatluhan (Tagalog)
• katlo (Tagalog)

Updated July 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris