Tagalog Glossary

In my posts I usually type Tagalog words that are used in that particular show. To make things easier for both you and me, I’ve decided to create a glossary of terms.

Abangan - (AH-bang-ngan) - To watch. In the case of Filipino dramas, the previews for the next episode are called the Abangan scenes or the “scenes to watch/wait for”.

Ate – (AH-teh) – The “e” in Ate is pronounced the same as the e in ‘led’. It means “Older sister”.

Bahay – (BAH-hai) – House. (Added by Anonymous 2)

Gago (male) / Gaga (female) – Stupid/foolish person.

Grabe – (GRAH-beh) The ‘e’ is pronounced like the e in ‘led’. It means – grave, weighty. Let’s say your teacher gave you a lot of homework in which your expression can be: “Ang grabe naman!” Which means (but doesn’t necessarily translate to), “That’s too much!” (Added by Anonymous 1)

Huling Bantay – (who-ling ban-tai) - Last Guardian, literally.

Ikaw - (EE-cow) – You (singular).

Kapamilya – The team name of the Philippine broadcasting station, ABS-CBN Channel 2. Loyalists of the show call themselves Kapamilya, meaning “of the family.” Basically, ABS-CBN is interpreting that the station and the viewer are family.

Kapuso – The team name of the Philippine broadcasting station, GMA Channel 7. Loyalists call themselves Kapuso, meaning “of the heart.” GMA interprets the station and the viewer as people of the heart.

Kapuso VS Kapamilya – These two stations have been rivaling for years, causing viewers of the two to fight each other as well. In my opinion, they need to calm the f*** down. (Just saying…)

Ka’yo - You (plural); see ikaw.

Kulit - (KOO-lit) - Someone/something that does something a lot (haha sorry for my explanation; just read further). For example, “Ang kulit mo naman!” which can translate to, “You talk too much!” or “You [insert verb] too much!” depending on what he/she is doing.

Kilig – (KEE-lig) – To shiver. When used in topics of love and romance, it means to shiver with delight when something romantic or cute happens. You would say, “Nakakakilig itong scene na ‘to,” which translates to, “This scene makes me shiver with delight.”

Kuya – (KOO-ya) – Older brother

Lahat – All, the total.

Lobo – Wolf

Nanay - Mother

Pulang Buwan - (poo-lang bwan) - Red Moon, literally.

Sige – (SEE-geh) – The ‘e’ is pronounced the same as the e in ‘led’. To go ahead, say okay, or all right. When someone asks you if you’d like to go out/do something, and instead of saying Yes/Sure, you can say, “Sige.” (Added by Anonymous 1)

Taong-Lobo - (TA-ong lobo)- Half human/half wolf.

Tatay – Father

Teleserye – (te-le-SAIR-ye) Television series. It’s the name for our Filipino dramas. Instead of the word “drama,” it’s called a teleserye.

Tira, Tira! - (TEE-ra, TEE-ra) - Go, Go! – Kim Chiu’s Jasmine in My Girl says this to lift her spirits up. It can be compared to Mandarin’s “Jia you!” or to Korea’s “Aja! Fighting!” I, myself, instead use, “Laban!” which literally translates to: Fight! heh

Tita - (TEE-ta) - Aunt

Tito - (TEE-toe) – Uncle

Total – (toh-tal) – To sum up, to express or tell briefly.

Traydor – (TRY-door) – Traitor.

Have I missed any Tagalog words you may have seen? If so, leave me a comment!

To those that have left input, thank you also!