NG (“of” )


By itself, ng serves as a possessive or genitive marker in Tagalog sentences. An easy way to look at one of its uses is to see it as meaning ‘of’ in English.

balat ng hayop
skin of an animal
(animal’s skin)


anak ng babae
child of a woman
(a woman’s child)


ulo ng tao
head of a person
(a person’s head)

Examples of ng used in other ways:

Uminom ako ng kape.
I drank coffee.

Kumain ako ng tinapay.
I ate bread.

Nagbigay ako ng pera.
I gave money.

Umakyat ako ng bundok.
I climbed a mountain.

Uminom ng gatas ang bata.
The child drank milk.

Kumain ng tinapay si Ana.
Ana ate bread.

Nagbigay ng pera si Tom.
Tom gave money.

Umakyat ng bundok si Teresa.
Teresa climbed a mountain.