The name Tagalog comes from the native term taga ilog, meaning 'people living near a/the river'. The prefix taga- means 'coming from' or 'native of', while the word ilog means 'river'. Transliterated, tagailog means 'coming from the river' or 'native of the river', with 'the' being implied.

Tagalog was written in an abugida called Baybayin prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. This particular writing system was composed of symbols representing three vowels and 14 consonants. Belonging to the Brahmic family of scripts, it shares similarities with the Old Kawi script of Java and is believed to be descended from the script used by the Bugis in Sulawesi.

Tagalog, in its standardized form, Filipino, is the principal language of the national media in the Philippines. It is the primary language of public education. As Filipino, it is, along with English, a co-official language and the sole national language. Tagalog is widely used as a lingua franca throughout the country, and in overseas Filipino communities.

Example:
English- Learn to speak Tagalog.
Tagalog- Matuto kang magsalita ng tagalog.