kata-kata

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• catacata — obsolete, Spanish-based orthography
• katakata

Etymology

Reduplication of kata. Root word from Sanskrit कथा (kathā, “story”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /kaˌtaʔ kaˈtaʔ/ [kɐˌt̪aʔ kɐˈt̪aʔ]
    • IPA^(key): (with glottal stop elision) /kaˌta(ʔ) kaˈtaʔ/ [kɐˌt̪aː xɐˈt̪aʔ]
    • Rhymes: -aʔ
  • IPA^(key): /ˌkataʔ ˈkataʔ/ [ˌkaː.t̪ɐʔ ˈkaː.t̪ɐʔ] (obsolete)
    • IPA^(key): (with glottal stop elision) /ˌkata(ʔ) ˈkataʔ/ [ˌkaː.t̪aː ˈxaː.t̪ɐʔ] (obsolete)
• Syllabification: ka‧ta-ka‧ta

Noun

katâ-katâ (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜆᜃᜆ)

1. legend; folk tale

   Synonyms: alamat, kuwentong-bayan

2. fiction; make-believe; something made up

   Synonyms: gawa-gawa, imbento, kathang-isip

3. tattle; idle talk
4. guess; imagination; surmise; gossip

Related terms

• katha
• makata

 

Further reading

• “kata-kata”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2024
• “kata-kata”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Noceda, Fr. Juan José de, Sanlucar, Fr. Pedro de (1860) Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, compuesto por varios religiosos doctos y graves‎^[1] (in Spanish), Manila: Ramirez y Giraudier