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8 Filipino Words That Dont Translate To English

Filipino is a funny language. To foreign ears, our words can sound a mite too percussive, as the

ratatat of the expression Kakabakaba ka ba? can show.Other times, our vocabulary can just be

outright weird, to the point that expats can only scratch their scalps in bemusement. They saythat for every culture, more words are created to describe things that are more manifest in its

reality: The Japanese have fifteen words for rice; the Eskimos have ninety-nine for snow.

That being said, are there also realities uniquely Filipino, words that could lead Google Translate

to self-destruct? Boot up your Brocas area and read on as 8List brings you 8 words endemic toour psyches.

Here are 8 Filipino words without English Equivalent! (And once youre done with this list,

dont forget to check outPart 2!)

8. PASMA

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muscular pain experienced upon immediate contact with cold water, after sweating or

exposing ones self to heat

Example: Huwag kang maghugas ng kamay pagkatapos mong mamalantsa. Mapapasma ka!

Ah yes, Pinoy pseudo-science at its finest! Its one of those animist afflictions our lolas warned

us about that eventually seeped into our collective brains and became a caveat to athletes and

household help alike.

Perhaps its origins can be traced to the eldritch sciences of our ancestors, before the Spanishintroduced Western reasoning to our archipelago.

So remember, children: Dont immediately jump to the pool when youve just peeled your socksoff. Give those little piggies some chill time.

7. PAMBAHAY

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a comfortable set of clothes usually worn within private spaces and avoided during chichi

social events, unless you are from Alabang and you go to the mall wearing this

Example: Hoy! Magpalit ka ng pambahay. May mga bisita tayo.

Pambahay often consists of raggedy swag shirts, Botak basketball shorts and Islander tsinelas.

Isnt it strange that in movies, we see Americans wear this to bed, but a proper term was nevercoined? Housewear does not cut it. Neither do pajamas or laundry-day attire.

Pambahay is something all its own, a word purposed to more tropical climes and societiessteeped on modesty.

Quick! If the Baraong Tagalog becomes out-of-fashion, somebody better elect this asPambansang Kasuotan!

6. DISKARTE

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the act of being discreetly resourceful

Example: Akong bahala. Diskarte ko na to.

What is often the buzzword of Tito, Vic and Joey- type con artists has also become our peoples

catch-all term for band-aid solutions.

Think of it as the awesome things the Mentos guy did after he popped some Mentos.

But hey, mind you: Tis a handy word to use when your idea of problem-solving requires a little

bit of larceny.

5. SAYANG

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an interjection that connotes frustration over a near-miss

Example: Sayang! Hindi ako umabot sa party mo dahil sa traffic.

What the Americans use a sentence to describe, we Filipinos can do in one word.

Its that all-too-familiar, balls-imploding reaction to something almost achieved, like a slowlyspinning basketball that slid out of the ring after an eternity of suspense.

This is often assisted by a caveman head scratch and that musical stinger that goes wek-wek-wek.

Related:8 More Filipino Words With No English Translation

4. TAMPO

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a pretend-tantrum one puts upon to elicit apology from another party

Example: Huwag ka nang magtampo. Sorry na

Tampo is perhaps the girliest behavior Pinoys are prone to. This can be physically manifested

through pouted lips and crossed arms, or through treating the offending party as invisible until hekneels down and begs for forgiveness. This is the kind of thing that actress Toni Gonzaga has

turned into an art form.

A too-irrational version of this behavior is termed tampong kulangot.

3. PIKON

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a feeling of anger when one gets served a whoppin dose of poetic justice

Example: Natalo ka ngayon; huwag kang pikon!

Badly put, its about being angry at the concept of you being the recipient of vengeance. Pinoysare good at offending, but when the tables are turned on them, they often are spoiled sports.

Pikons the word that describes that fuming.

2. GIGIL

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an extreme urge to squeeze someone or something,usually brought about by a cute or

irritating object

Example: Nanggigigil ako sa baby! Ang cute-cute niya kasi.

The English expression that closely encapsulates this feeling is: Youre so adorable, I want to

eat you. Close but no cigar.

Gigil means what it sounds like. Its dual-purpose too: You can either feel gigil at the

Pomeranian that dressed up as Wonder Woman at the pet show, or at your officemate whospilled milk tea on your new iPad.

1. KILIG

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a feeling of being intoxicated by the idea of love, whether subjectively experienced or

through mirror neurons

Example: Kinikilig ako sa romantic comedy na to.

If snow is to Eskimos, rice to the Japanese,it looks like its emotions for Filipinos. If youve paid

enough attention to the preceeding entries, our mother tongue has heaps of words for emotionsall twenty-one flavors of it, not counting the elusive umami parallel.

We Filipinos are people of emotions, of gigantic hearts!

Consider: The English word giddy does not hold a candle to the word kilig, that bioelectric jolt

of love when we see lovers sealing a million-peso kiss.

Only Pinoys can feel that and eventually invent a word for it.

Do you know of other Filipino words that dont translate to English? Share with other word

lovers in theComments Section.

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P.S. Perhaps youd also like to check-out8 Instances of Filipino English versus American

English.

http://8list.ph/american-english-vs-pinoy-english/http://8list.ph/american-english-vs-pinoy-english/http://8list.ph/american-english-vs-pinoy-english/http://8list.ph/american-english-vs-pinoy-english/http://8list.ph/american-english-vs-pinoy-english/http://8list.ph/american-english-vs-pinoy-english/