VERNACULAR TERMS

PART 1: PEOPLE & MEASUREMENTS

NAME VERNACULAR TERM MEANING

Architect Arkitekto A person or entity registered, licensed or

otherwise authorized to use the title "architect"
and to practice architecture in a province or
territory. A person who designs buildings and
advises in their construction.

By Volume Bultuhan

Carpenter Karpentero A worker who builds or repairs wooden

structures or their structural parts.

Contractor Kontratista Responsible for planning, leading, executing,

supervising and inspecting a building
construction project.

Electrician Elektrisyan Install and maintain electricity cables and other

electrical infrastructure in buildings.

Engineer Inhinyero A person who has scientific training and who

designs and builds complicated products,
machines, systems, or structures.

Exact Measurement Siro-siro Correct in every detail; strictly accurate.

Fathom (5-6’) Dipa A unit of length equal to six feet (1.83 meters)
used especially for measuring the depth of
water —sometimes used in the singular when
qualified by a number five fathom deep.

Foot Piye A unit of length equal to twelve inches (about .3

meter).

Forearm (14-16”) Bisig

Foreman Kapatas Is a key member of the contractor team,

responsible for organising construction works
on site.

Gradient Grade It is the longitudinal slope provided to the

formation level of a road along its alignment.

Half Inch Medya A measure of length approximately equivalent

to 13 millimetres.

Handbreadth (4’) Damak Any of various units of length varying from

about 2¹/₂ to 4 inches based on the breadth of a
hand.

Hectare Ektarya A metric areal unit of measure equal to 10,000

square meters.

Inch Pulgada Unit of British Imperial and United States

Customary measure equal to 1/36 of a yard.

Laborer Piyon A person who works in manual labor types,

especially in the construction and factory
industries' workforce.
 Layer Patong

Mason Kantero

Metertape Metro

Mixture Timplado

Painter Pintor

Paymaster Pagador

Percentage Porsyento

Plumber Tubero

Roofer Latero

Span (7-8”) Dangkal

Step Baytang

Storey Palapag

Warehouseman Bodegero

Welder Soldador

PART 2: TOOLS & MATERIALS

NAME VERNACULAR TERM MEANING

Ball Bearings De Bulitas A type of rolling-element bearing that uses

balls to maintain the separation between the
bearing races.

Barrel Bolt Trankilya / Pang-trangka

Bolt Piyerno

Brace Liyabe

Brass Tumbaga

Brick Ladrilyo

Brick Hammer Piketa It can be used for cutting, cleaning and setting
bricks, stone or masonry.

Bull-Point Chisel Sinsil

Cabinet Hinge Espolon

Carpet Alpombra

Cast Iron Pundido

Cement Semento A finely milled mineral powder, usually grey in

colour. The most important raw materials for
the production of cement are limestone, clay,
 and marl.

Chain Bolt Bakal de Kadena

Chalk Line Reel Pitik

Clamp Gato

Concrete Buhos A structural material consisting of a hard,

chemically inert particulate substance, known
as aggregate (usually sand and gravel), that is
bonded together by cement and water.

Copper Kobre

Crowbar Baret de Kabra

Doorknob Busol

Drill Barena

Escutcheon Eskudo Used to hide a hole in your wall where a pipe

comes through. They can be found behind your
faucets, showers, toilets and under your sink.

Fiber-cement Board Hardipleks

Filling Material / Earthfill Escombro

Fine Sifted Sand Bistay

Flat Bar Plantsuela A basic of building support materials. They are

generally used for support braces, ladder
hangers, gate latches, duct work, overhead
doors, heaters and bracing.

Floor Tile Baldosa

Framing Square Eskwala

G.I. Plain Sheet
Liso Metal sheet heavily coated with protected
metallic and organic coatings. Because it is flat,
GI sheets have multiple purposes, and can be
readily transformed to various forms without
degrading the coating quality.

G.I. Strap Lingueta

Hinge Bisagra A mechanical component that's used to join

the surfaces of two objects.

Hose Level Lebel

Iron Yero

Key Susi

Laminate Pormika

Latch Aldaba A metal bar with a catch and lever used for
fastening a door or gate.

Lead Tingga
 Mallet Malyete

Masonry Trowel Kutsara A hand trowel used in brickwork or stonework

for leveling, spreading and shaping mortar or
concrete. They come in several shapes and sizes
depending on the task.

Mortar Agramasa

Nail Pako

Nailset Punsol

Nut Tuwerka

PART 3: AREAS & STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

NAME VERNACULAR TERM MEANING

Balcony Balkonahe An external platform at an upper floor level with

a balustrade to the open sides projecting from
or recessed from an external wall and including
in this definition generally accessible rooftop
terraces and galleries and loggia.

Canopy Medya Agua Typically intended to provide shelter from the

rain or sun, but may also be used for decorative
purposes, or to give emphasis to a route or part
of a building

Ceiling Kisame

Corridor Pasilyo A long passage in a building, ship, or train, esp.

with rooms on one or both side.

Fascia Board Senepa The long wooden board behind the gutters on
a house. It connects to the roof rafters, closes off
the attic and serves as the mount for gutters.

Flooring Suelo

Dining Room Komedor

Door Pinto

Eaves Alero

Entry Way Entrada

Gable Roof Dos Aguas A double-sloping roof that forms a gable at

each end.

Garage Garahe

Garden Hardin
 Hip Roof Kuwatro Aguas A roof that slopes upward from all sides of a
structure, having no vertical ends.

Kitchen Kusina

Lean-to Sibe

Living Room Sala

Mezzanine Entresuelo A low-ceilinged story between two main stories

of a building especially : an intermediate story
that projects in the form of a balcony

Overhang Bolada

Roof Covering Atip The covering material installed in a building

over the roof deck, including all materials used
in securing the roof covering, all materials
applied under the roof cover for moisture
protection, and the roof flashing.

Room Kuwarto

Service Area Batalan

Small Window Bentanilya

Stairs Escalera

Terrace Azoteya A level paved area or platform next to a

building; a patio or veranda.

Toilet Banyo

Wall Pader

Window Bintana Opening in the wall of a building for the

admission of light and air; windows are often
arranged also for the purposes of architectural
decoration.

PART 4: EARTHWORK, FORMWORK, STRUCTURAL & MASONRY TERMS

NAME VERNACULAR TERM MEANING

Alcove Nitso Recess opening off a room or other space

enclosed by walls or hedges.

Align Horizontally Lebelan

Align Vertically Hulugan

Alternate Unosinotra

Arch Balantok

Beam Biga

Bend Bali
Bottom Chord Barakilan

Brace Piye de galyo

Ceiling Joists Kostilyahe Any joist which carries a ceiling; one of several
small beams to which the ceiling of a room is
attached.

Collar Tie Sinturon

Compactor Pison

Concrete Slab Larga Masa Is used to create flat horizontal surfaces such as
floors, roof decks and ceilings.

Concrete Spacer Sapatos

Corner Kanto

Crane Gruha

Diagonal Brace Pie de gallo

Directly Rekta

Dome Bobida

Downslope Bahada

Dump Truck Damtrak

Embossed Risalte

Erect a wall Asintahin

Estimate Tanstahin

Excavation Hukay Excavation is the process of moving earth, rock

or other materials with tools, equipment or
explosives. It includes earthwork, trenching,
wall shafts, tunneling and underground.

Excess Cut Retaso

Flatten Patagin

Floor Joists Soleras

Flushed Alahado

Form a Junction Tumbok

Foundation Pundasyon Part of a structural system that supports and

anchors the superstructure of a building and
transmits its loads directly to the earth.

Framing Balangkas

Gap Biyento

Girder Gililan

Girt Sepo
 Ground Fill Tambakan

Grout Letsada An excellent filling material used to fill and firm

the installation of building materials that have
inherent voids. For example, hollow concrete
blocks are often filled with grout after they are
set.

Hollow Malukong

Hook Kawit

Horizontal Studs Pabalagbag

Hump Matambok

Inside Corner Kilikili

Install Ikasa

King Post Pendulo

Lintel Dintel

Lot Boundary Marker Muhon

Low Platform Tarima

Maneuvering Area Buweltahan

Manually Mano-mano

Mark a Straight Line Pitikan

Masonry Filling Material Lastilyas

Masonry Wall Asinta

Mix Halo

Mortar Joint Kosturada The spaces between bricks, concrete blocks, or

glass blocks, that are filled with mortar or grout.

Nylon Tansi

Parallel Kahanay

Pattern Plantilya

Pile Pilote

Plan Plano

Plank Plantsa

Plaster Palitada

Form Porma

Post Haligi

Pulley Kalo
 Pure Cement Puro

Purlin Reostra

Queen Post Taknang

Rafter Kilo

Ramp Rampa

Rebar Kabilya

Remove Baklasin

Ridge Kabalyete

Rough-in Abang

Sample Muestra

Scaffolding Andamyo A structure created from precast metal

elements that allows the creation of spaces
with different proportions, dimensions and
heights.

Scratch Coat Plaster Rebokada

Sift Pambistay

Sketch Krokis

Slab Rebar Parilya

Spiral Paikid

Splice / Joint Emplame

Squared Eskwalado

Stack Salansanin

Stake Estaka

Stirrup Anilyo

Storage Area Imbakan

Strut Tirante A structural component of a roof truss and is an

integral part of the load bearing, designed to
resist longitudinal compression.

Support Tukuran

Surveying Agrimensura

Top Chord Tahilan

Transom Trabisanyo

Trench Trintsera

Unload Idiskarga
 Vertical Studs Pilarete

Waste Cut Seroho

Wheelbarrow Kartelya A tool used to move heavy things, made from a

single wheel in front and two legs in back.

Window Sill Pasamano

Window / Door Header Sumbrero

Window / Door Jamb Hamba

PART 5: PAINTING & CARPENTRY TERMS

NAME VERNACULAR TERM MEANING

2’” x 2” Wood Dos por dos

Apply Concrete Neutralizer Lasunin

Apply paint by spraying Bugahan

Apply Prime / Base Coat Pondohan

Apply Spot Putty Ispatan

Astragal Batidura A moulding profile composed of a half-round

surface surrounded by two flat planes (fillets).

Banister Barandilya

Baseboard Rodapis

Closed Stair Stringer Madre de Eskalera The edge of the tread is not visible and the
vertical parts of the handrail (made up of
balusters and newels) are typically attached to
the top of the stringer.

Concave Moulding Medya Kanya

Cornice Kornisa The decorated projection at the top of a wall

provided to protect the wall face or to
ornament and finish the eaves.

Door Fillet Batidora

Entire Surface Sarado Batak

Fill a crack or hole Deskanso

Fretwork Kalyado An interlaced decorative design that is either

carved in low relief on a solid background, or
cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or
scroll saw.

Groove Kanal

Handrail Gabay Designed to be grasped by the hand so as to

provide stability or support.
 High Gloss Duko Finish

Lath Liston

Applying a layer Pasada

Miter Joint Kanto Mesa

Mortise Mitsa

Moulding Moldura

Nail/Dowel Tarugo

Nailer Pamakuan

Open Stringer Hardinera

Paint Pintura

Panelled De Bandeha

Plinth Sokalo Lowest part, or foot, of a pedestal, podium, or

architrave (molding around a door). It can also
refer to the bottom support of a piece of
furniture or the usually projecting stone
coursing that forms a platform for a building.

Polished Finish Monyeka

Putty Liston

Rabbet Basyada A recess or groove cut into the edge of a piece

of machinable material, usually wood.

Rag Trapo

Rough Wall Anay Finish

Sandpaper Liha

Sawdust Kusot

Siding / Cladding Tabike It refers to components that are attached to the

primary structure of a building to form
non-structural, external surfaces.

Stair Landing Deskanso

Stair Riser Takip Silipan

Stringer Madrina A long piece of timber in a construction,

especially a heavy and principal one, usually
horizontal.

Tressle Kabayo

Use Masking Tape Katingan

Varnish Barnis

Wood Grain Haspe

Wood Plank Tabla Used primarily in carpentry, planks are critical in
the construction of ships, houses, bridges, and
many other structures. Planks also serve as
supports to form shelves and tables.