The ‘Katinig’ (consonants) in Baybayin, similar to consonants in the English alphabet, consists of 17 symbols and serves as the foundation of Baybayin writing.
Here’s how you can read and write them. (Click on the element you’d like to learn):
Katinig ‘H’ or ‘Ha’
Imagine drawing an inverted ‘S’ or a shape resembling an infinity symbol—this forms the Baybayin character for ‘Ha’. By adding a kudlit (a dot or cross mark) below, you can remove the vowel sound and silence it. Same goes to all other Katinig below.
Katinig 'P' or 'Pa'
Commonly seen in museum logos, the word "Pamana"—which means "heritage" or "treasure" in Filipino—accurately represents cultural identity. It is also used by various government agencies and universities, especially those that begin with "Pamantasan."
To write it, imagine drawing the letter "U" and adding a stem on its right branch.
Katinig 'K' or 'Ka'
Have you seen the first flag of the Katipuneros?
The Katipuneros were members of the Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society founded in 1892 to fight for Philippine independence from Spanish rule. They played a crucial role in the Philippine Revolution of 1896, led by figures like Andrés Bonifacio.
This particular Baybayin character was commonly used on their flag to symbolize the KKK (Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan)—the highest and most honorable association of the sons of the nation.
Katinig 'S' or 'Sa'
Similar to the shape of the letter 'B' or a butterfly, the Baybayin character for 'S' or 'Sa' closely resembles this form.
Katinig 'L' or 'La'
Fun fact: The Baybayin character for 'L' is believed to be inspired by the shape of the male genitalia, which ties into the word "Lalake" (meaning "man" in Filipino), naturally beginning with the letter 'L'.
Katinig 'T' or 'Ta'
It only takes two upward strokes to write the Baybayin character for 'T'.
Katinig 'N' or 'Na'
Just as the Baybayin character for ‘T’ is formed with two simple upward strokes, this illustration begins with the solid rise of a mountain and the steady upward flow of a fountain in the center
Katinig 'B' or 'Ba'
The Baybayin character for 'B' resembles an inverted heart shape in its form. This inverted heart shape is believed to resemble the female genitalia, which connects to the word "Babae" (meaning "woman" in Filipino), naturally starting with the letter 'B' in Baybayin.
Katinig 'M' or 'Ma'
Imagine drawing a mountain with a house in the middle—that's how you form the Baybayin character for 'M'.
Katinig 'G' or 'Ga'
It’s similar to writing a lowercase 'n', but with the number '3' forming its stem.
Katinig 'D'/'R' or 'Da'/'Ra'
In Baybayin, the characters for 'D' and 'R' are represented by the same symbol. This reflects how early Filipinos used them interchangeably in speech and writing. For example, the word "Bundok" (mountain) could also be written as "Bunrok" without changing its meaning.
Katinig 'Y' or 'Ya'
The Baybayin character for 'Ya' is quite similar to 'Pa', but without the stem and with a larger curve at the end stroke.
Katinig 'Ng' or Nga'
The Baybayin character for 'Nga' resembles the shape of a doctor's stethoscope viewed horizontally. "Ngala" means gift in Filipino.
Katinig 'W' or 'Wa'
The Baybayin character for 'Wa' is similar to drawing a letter 'U', with its simple, curved shape. This character represents the syllable "wa" and is one of the distinct sounds in the Baybayin script.
Ang Kudlit
The kudlit is a crucial diacritical mark in Baybayin that modifies the sound of a character. Since Baybayin is an alphasyllabary (abugida), each consonant inherently carries the vowel “A” unless changed by a kudlit.
Baybayin was originally not designed to end words with a consonant, meaning native Filipinos read and wrote without needing to “cut off” final consonants.
But later on, the friars introduced the X-shaped kudlit (virama) to silence the inherent vowel, allowing words to end in consonants—an adaptation influenced by Spanish orthography. It was introduced after the publication of the first book in the Philippines, Doctrina Christiana (1593).
Functions of Kudlit
Changes the Vowel Sound
- A kudlit above the character changes “A” to “I” or “E”
A kudlit below the character changes “A” to “O” or “U”
Silences the Vowel (Spanish Influence)
The Virama (X-shaped kudlit), introduced during the Spanish period, allows consonants to be written without a vowel.
