Hilaga

Hilaga is the Filipino word for the cardinal direction north. It is used in navigation, geography, and everyday speech to indicate orientation or location relative to the viewer or a reference point.

In the system of Filipino cardinal directions, hilaga is paired with timog (south), silangan (east), and kanluran (west). Compound directions are commonly formed with hilaga, such as hilagang-silangan (northeast) and hilagang-kanluran (northwest), reflecting the same approach found in other Austronesian languages to specify intermediate directions.

Hilaga is used in phrases that describe location, for example hilaga ng isang lugar (the northern part of a place) or nasa hilaga ang kapitolyo (the capitol is to the north). It functions like a standard directional noun and does not require capitalization unless it begins a sentence or is used as part of a proper noun.

Etymology and usage notes: hilaga is a native Tagalog term, part of the core vocabulary for geography and navigation. It is generally not capitalized unless at the start of a sentence or used as a proper noun. The term may appear in maps, travel guides, and literature to convey northern orientation. In addition to its general meaning, hilaga can appear in place names or personal names in some contexts.