1.

Gigil

Nakakatuwa? Nakaka-aliw? Ang “gigil” ay madalas nating ginagamit kapag nakakakita tayo ng mga cute
na tao (o bagay!), na masarap yakapin o pisilin.

2. Kilig

Kinilig ka sa crush mo, kinilig ka nung binigyan ka ng bulaklak. Pero ano ba talaga ang “kilig” sa Ingles?
Hindi eto infatuation, o butterflies in your stomach, o kaya love. Basta, kinilig ka.

3. Tampo

Nakalimutan ni sweetheart ang monthsary niyo … hindi ka galit, pero hindi ka rin masaya, gusto mo lang
ng lambing eh kasi nagtatampo ka.

4. Pasalubong

“Meron akong pasalubong galing Isteyts!” Ang pasalubong ay isang regalo na binibigay ng isang tao
pagbalik niya galing sa ibang lugar. Isa na itong parte ng ating kultura na ating nang nakasanayan.
“Pasalubong ko ha!”

5. Kulit

Paulit-ulit nang paulit-ulit – sobrang kulit! Minsan nakaka-irita at minsan nakakatuwa, hindi pa rin talaga
namin maisip kung ano sa Ingles ang salitang “kulit.” Ang kulit!

6. Alimpungatan

Kapag palalim na ang tulog mo at bigla kang nagising, aba, na-alimpungatan ka. Hindi ito nap, hindi rin
ito snooze, pero siguradong alam mo kapag nangyari ito sa’yo.

7. Lambing

Kung tulad namin na akala mo ay affectionate ang Ingles ng lambing, eh nagkakamali ka. Isang matamis
na salita na nagsasabing naghahanap ka ng pansin na may halong pagmamahal, iyon ang lambing.

8. Basta

Ano ba kasi talaga ang ingles ng basta? Basta! Lagi natin etong sinasabi kapag hindi tayo sigurado at
gusto nalang nating mag-go with the flow para matapos na.

“Bakit ka ba kasi naiinis?” “Eh, basta!”

9. Bitin

“Ang sarap ng ulam kaya lang bitin ‘yung kanin eh!”Kapag gusto mo pa pero wala ka nang makuha,
siguradong bitin ka. Madalas natin itong ginagamit sa pagkain, sa haba ng tulog, o kaya kapag nanunuod
ng soap opera.
10. Baduy

“Ano ba ‘yan, ang baduy naman ng suot mo.” Hindi naman eto pangit pero hindi mo lang talaga type.
Masasabing baduy ang isang bagay (o isang tao?) kapag hindi ito sakto sa panlasa mo o kaya’y masakit
lang talaga siya sa iyong mga mata.

11. Pambahay

Alam nating lahat na masarap magsuot ng pambahay. Eto ay isang set ng damit na sinusuot lang natin
kapag well … tayo’y nasa bahay o kaya ay bibili lang ng softdrinks sa suking tindahan. Walang duda,
komportable at masarap ipantulog ang mga damit na eto.

12. Diskarte

“Late dapat ako sa opisina kanina e, pero nagawan ko ng diskarte!” Ang mga da moves na smooth at iwas
hamak, ‘yan ang diskarte!

13. Pasma

Kapag naghugas ka ng kamay pagkatapos mo mamalantsa, siguradong mapapasma ka. Ang pasma ay
hindi scientifically true pero eto ay napaniwalaan na mula pa noong nineties kopong-kopong. Kaya bago
ihalo ang pagod at mainit na katawan sa malamig na tubig, makinig muna kay Lola at baka mapasma ka.

14. Sayang

Natalo ang paborito mong PBA team. Sayang kasi 1 point lang ang lamang ng kalaban. Nanghihinayang
ka na nalulungkot dahil sana hindi nalang nangyari ‘yun. Sayang!

15. Lihi

“Nagpapabili ng mangga si darling, naglilihi kasi.” Isang matinding craving pero para lang sa buntis, hindi
namin masigurado kung saan galing ang salitang ito. Basta kapag may parating na baby, may naglilihi!

17)Kwan

“Nakalimutan kong bilhin ‘yung pinabibili mong kwan.. perdible!”

We use kwan in place of an object’s name we’ve temporarily forgotten. And while we’re trying to recall
it, we use kwan instead.

But kwan is also used to say things we couldn’t say out loud, and hope that the other person would read
into it, “Di ba sya ‘yung kumwan dun sa kwan ni aling Nena?” and those in earshot would have to figure
out what kwan really means.

Another use for the word is when we can’t think of anything to say. Kind of like an er, uhm, uh moment.

17)Baldog
 “Wag mo ng pasalihin sa laro yan at tirang baldog lagi ‘yan.”

Baldog in the context of Pinoy basketball means a shot that hits board but doesn’t make the rim. The
NBA has yet to come up with a term for a bad play like this.

On the other hand, baldog could also mean a sudden, bad fall usually with the head hitting a hard
surface “nabaldog ‘yung ulo ng anak mo sa semento”. In both context, an exact English word is
unavailable.

18)Lambing

“Gusto kong nilalambing ako kapag galit ako.”

While Google Translate says that lambing is tenderness, it fails to adequately define what lambing is. It’s
like this: tenderness + sweetness + being affectionate + wanting to be caressed = lambing.

Nobody says no to a lambing. Filipino children have this down to an art. They know when to lambing
nanay especially when they’re in for some scolding. And tatay gets some of the lambing when the
chikitings are asking for a new toy.

19)Balisawsaw

“Uminom ka ng maraming tubig para mawala yang balisawsaw mo”

Balisawsaw is a collective term for the following symptoms: lingering desire to pee, frequent peeing and
pain in the bladder.

It’s not always associated with Urinary Tract Infection and dysuria, although the symptoms are similar. As
kids, our lolas would scold us about sitting on a hot surface (like a stone bench exposed to the heat of
the sun) because we’d experience balisawsaw after sitting on it.

20)Naman

“Dati ako ang nagpapakahirap, ngayon sya naman.”

This word practically defies translation: it’s a word affixed to a sentence to either give emphasis,
highlight contrast or give gentle coaxing (for requests).

For emphasis: “Hindi ko naman sinasadya.”

For contrast: “Yung isa, umuwi na. Yung isa naman, nagpaiwan pa.”

As gentle coaxing: “Tulungan mo naman akong magbuhat.”

But this amusing word isn’t done yet. Naman could also be used to mean again. “Ikaw na naman?!” and
a more recent use for the word means “of course!” as only John Lloyd Cruz can illustrate in a popular TV
commercial.
21)Pang-ilan

“Hoy! Pang-ilang kanin mo na ‘yan, ha?”

This word has been debated upon by the inquisitive, the purists and the helpful. But pang-ilan has
remained elusive, always needing to be translated in the context of the sentence it came in.

The question “Pang-ilang presidente ng Pilipinas si Erap?” has been exhausted, exploited and worked
around, but no one could translate it word-for-word without making it sound awkward and unnatural.

Ah, pang-ilan. You shall remain a favorite topic for discussion and banter among barkadas of every age
and size.

22)Libag

“Ibili mo nga ‘ko ng panghilod at ang dami ko ng libag!”

It’s one of those things we’d rather keep private. And rightly so. As Pinoys we’re prissy about bathing
and scrubbing ourselves pink so we have a natural aversion to libag.

Its’ pretty serious business: scrubbing off these skin dirt is a must according to our nanays, and no decent
Pinoy bathroom is deemed good enough without a panghilod. In fact, we’re so obsessed about removing
these things that we’ve given names to libag on various body parts just to differentiate them from one
another. Yes, we’re suckers for specifics that way.

23)Sumbat

“Wag mong isumbat sa akin ang mga ginawa mong tulong.”

Sumbat happens when someone you’re indebted to chides you about the favors he/she has done for
you.

Often said in an angry, reproachful manner, sumbat has hints of regret about the favors given. Our
teledramas are replete with sumbatan, and when that couple next door fights, it’s sumbatan festival until
they stop.

24)Ngilo

“Nagsisi ako na kumain ako ng ice cream, nangilo tuloy ang ngipin ko”

Sure, ngilo is teeth sensitivity. But ngilo is really more about the sensation: that lightning-like, searing,
excruciating, palpable pain that your teeth gets when you bite into your ice cream.

However, this isn’t the only definition. The other one is that teeth-gritting feeling that you get when you
hear the sound of fingernails scraping against the chalkboard, or (the more local example) of tansan
against concrete.

25)Pasalubong
“Galing akong Hong Kong at namili ako ng maraming pasalubong.”

This old Filipino tradition of bringing gifts every homecoming is expected of balikbayan loved ones and
friends. Those who travel overseas, even those who travel to another city even within the country are
somewhat expected to bring gifts home, no matter how small, as “souvenirs”.

But there’s no English word that is commensurate to this Pinoy culture. Michael Tan probably nailed it
with this description: “I’m glad to be back with people I love … and here’s something from that place.”

26)Tutong

“Itira nyo sa akin ang kaning tutong, paborito ko yan”

In a country where rice is the staple food, of course we needed a word to describe that brown to golden
(sometimes burnt) crusty rice that sticks to the bottom of our rice pot when we overcook our kanin.

Some Pinoys like the crunchy texture and burnt taste of kaning tutong and would even go as far as to
intentionally toast the rice and write a recipe on how to make tutong na kanin.

27)Kulit

“Ang kulit naman ng batang ito!

Some would argue that kulit actually translates to pesky. Quite, but not quite.

You see, pesky (negative) is annoying. But kulit is not only used in the negative “Tigilan mo ‘ko sa
pangungulit mo!”, there’s also hint of positive playfulness about it especially in this context: “Kinukulit
ako ng anak ko kung kelan daw ako uuwi”.

It is also used to fondly describe somebody who is funny “Ang kulit talaga ni Ryzza Mae, natawa ako sa
jokes nya!”. Kulit may also be used to describe something that’s unique, new or cool “Grabe ang tugtog
na ‘to, ang kulit!”.

28)Ngalay

“Nangalay ako at nangawit kakahintay na magsimula ang palabas.”

Ngalay is the numbness that one feels when you’re motionless and in the same position for a time. The
closest translation for ngalay is numb, although that lacks in definition for what ngalay really means.

Ngalay could also happen after strenuous physical activity like carrying or doing something heavy after
an extended period. It’s that fatigued, dull ache on your muscles that numbs over time.

29)Sigurista

A sigurista is somebody who makes sure that everything goes according to plan. It doesn’t exactly
translate to being a perfectionist. Perfectionists are more on the meticulous side of things, ensuring that
everything is done to the letter.
A sigurista is somebody who will not do something unless the outcome is what he/she exactly desires.
There’s a very gangster ring to the word that’s somehow reminiscent of old tagalog action flicks and
politicians running for public office.

30)Alimpungatan

“Naalimpungatan ang maton nung nag-away ang dalawang babae sa labas”

Tread carefully now. The word in subject is something that all Pinoys know could either make or break a
person’s mood.

Alimpungat is that state when your sleep has been rudely interrupted leaving you half-asleep and half-
awake. In this state of half-awareness, you’re probably unsure about being awake or asleep.

The closest English translation to the word is “rude awakening”, but it doesn’t describe the stupor, or the
state of consciousness.