during my last stay in the philippines, i discovered a love for our native language because of the beauty of untranslatability. it is almost like there are certain things that we alone can explain, we alone have seen and experienced and therefore have named.
there are so many words and phrases that can't be translated into English, the language i'm more fluent in. i have read somewhere that in the Filipino language, there are:
- eighty-eight words for to see or to look at
- more than one hundred words for the different kinds of touch
- seventeen words that mean to bear or to carry; each one a different way of doing so
help me out please? this list needs:
- words, or phrases.
- English/Filipino definitions (for those i haven't given definitions, or to replace my attempts, hahah) will be terrific because i want to compile this.
starting with a few words, everyday words; and some interesting ones i have found so far:
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last edited 12.01.08
- separating the real words from the interjections/slang/other colloquial terms. i'm actually not sure of my groupings (obviously i'm no expert at this language. just an appreciator), so if someone can point out real words from slang, then great.
- please try and explain the words you give :)
- let's keep the list clean, yeah? i don't really want a sequel of the many meanings and uses of the F word. haha.
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real (for the lack of a better word) words:- sayang
- kilig
- ipo-ipo (wind that goes around in circles, carrying with it leaves or sand or dust)
- matanaw (to see from far away)
- lagot
- gigil
- lambing
- buklat (to open, as in a book)
- saraduhan (to close the door on someone)
- tampo
- karagatan
- dakila
- mandirigma
- habang-buhay
- asar
- grabe
- ewan
- hakbang
- laktaw
- matino / tumino
colloquial-ness:
- hay nako
- ano ba yan
- bakit ba
- ikaw na nga!
- wala lang - "bakit mo ginawa yun?" "wala lang".
- pasaway
- jologs
- kwan
"hay nako" and "ano ba yan"
ReplyDeletekaragatan
ReplyDeletedakila
mandirigma
habang-buhay
alon
oh oh and omg "kaw na nga!" and "wala na":))
ReplyDeletein the less serious side... there's "kachichas" (duno how to spell it).
ReplyDelete"anak ng baka" which has no real meaning.
burat
dunno if those can be counted though.. haha.
whats alon mean?
great thought to ponder upon, haha. :p
ReplyDeletei think "ewan" should be part of the list. haha. "grabe" too. "nakakaasar"?
damn, it's keeping me think and think and think. :))
hahah good post adi. :) Oh no... because of this, I might not be able to sleep tonight. hehe... anyway... good post.
ReplyDeleteOnga no... whats for "hay nako" and "ano ba yan"? haha...
Alon is Wave diba?
ReplyDeleteoo nga no?! :))) wala syang translation! pero i use the bajizzles :))
ReplyDeleteyep :))
ReplyDeleteand is "badtrip" considered filipino na?
ReplyDelete"ha?" <- does this count?
ReplyDeletetakte yan~! (i don't know what it means but i use it. hahaha) ps. what is "gago" in english?
ReplyDeletehinayang is regret. haha ipo ipo is hurricane ata or whirlwind?
ReplyDeleteeto malupet: "wala lang". should mean nothing but actually means a thousand things.=)
also: pasaway, jologs, "anu" and "kwan" (the ever versatile nouns)
takte is short for "putakte"
ReplyDeletewhich refers to some kind of an insect. haha
Rich naman. Halata bang hindi? Its a "Filipinized" expression though.
ReplyDeleteCocker Spaniel. Hahahahaha!=))
ReplyDeletegago! :))
ReplyDelete"jusko" :)) i use this everyday
ReplyDeleteand what's english for "punyeta"? =))
doesnt burat mean like something rude like as in a body part? hahaha
ReplyDeletei've heard the first three words but have never known what they mean. can you explain them? :)
ReplyDeleteyeah, grabe! hahaha. yay. think some more and come back here :D
ReplyDeletemake sure you come back and post anything you've thought of. hahaha.
ReplyDeletediba, nakakaloka? XD
yeah i think it is. i'll look that up though, maybe it means a certain kind of wave. heh.
ReplyDeleteHAHA. like reg said, no :P maybe i should start a list of "filipinized" words too.
ReplyDeleteyessss namaaan cousin!! hahaha. how is 'takte' used?
ReplyDeleteoh, i thought ipo-ipo was only referred to those small small whirlwind things that happen on the ground. haha. is it?
ReplyDeletehaha, kwan!
jusko = "Diyos ko," which means "my God". haha. :)
ReplyDeletei think "nako" is a shortened form of "anak ko." haha. i know there's a term for this shortening of words for convenience, but it escapes me right now.
ReplyDeletebefore i go to sleep, hahaha...
ReplyDelete"diba?" -> somehow it means like "right?"
"angkas" -> "inANGKAS ko sa bisikleta ang aking kapatid" HAHAHA.
"tumino" -> "ikaw na bata ka, tuminu-tino ka nga!" :))
"laktaw" -> this is like "going over" something... not sure though if it has translation.
"walang hiya" -> HAHAHA. this expression really has no translation. it can't be "shameless" or "no shame". =))
that's all for now, ang SABAW. =))
diba = hindi ba = isn't it = right?
ReplyDeletehahaha. and isn't walang hiya no shame/shameless?? you just translated it yourself! haha
laktaw's a good one. it's more like jumping over i think. then there's hakbang too. the difference? no idea. hopefully someone will enlighten us haha
laktaw is to go over something or to skip something... hakbang is something like a step...
ReplyDelete"tama?" can also be "right?"...
ReplyDeleteoh my.. walang hiya, pero diba it has no direct translation as an expression. hahaha. =)) now im confused, haha.
laktaw, yep, jumping over... pwedeng ganun. hakbang naman, it can also be stepping over kasi. or ewan, hahaha. my explanation is not enlightening us. HAHA. =))
hakbang is step... hakbangan is stepping over... i think... :D
ReplyDeleteyepyep. hahaha. :))
ReplyDeleteThe phrase "wala lang" is also code for "i love you"..(same number of letters). so "la lang" means "ove you" and "lang" means "e you" (sounds like eeeww?)
ReplyDelete