The Filipino language is such a beauty of its own. From hard to translate words to slangs and more! Indeed, it proves that Filipino culture is rich and diverse.
We’ve been using Filipino slang ever since—constantly updating that we often can’t keep up! Some are laos na, but there are times that you’ll see them popping up on social media. One common form of Filipino slang are the reverse kinds where we read the word or syllable in, well, reversed. Another kind are those where we cut or combine words. Or sometimes, we get creative and just simply “invent” new words.
Wanna upgrade your slang game? Well buckle up! Here are some words that you might wanna use. Mema lang (may masabi lang).
Charot
Other forms: Char, chz
Charot in a sentence: Parang gusto kong bumili ng XX. Charot, wala na pala akong pera!
Charot, char, chz simply means just kidding! To be honest, I use this a lot as in everyday 24/7, as in almost every after sentence I insert this! It really comes in handy when you have a joke, a banat, or when you accidentally said something you didn’t mean. In short, yung pag hindi benta joke mo so dugtungan mo nalang ng char para di awkward, ganern!
Awit
Other form: songs, bro
Awit in a sentence: Awit, ECQ na naman! // “Taken na siya” “Songs bro.”
Awit literally means “sing” in english. But as a slang it simply means aw, sakit, which means ouch that hurts! Awit is derived from aw + it (from sakit) = awit! But don’t be fooled, awit is not used whenever you’re hurt physically; it is generally used when something unfavorable or unfortunate happens such as failing an exam, sold out tickets, and the like.
Ssob
Other form: retmas, lodi
Ssob in a sentence: Galing talaga ni ssob!
No, ssob does not mean son of a b***** In Filipino slang, it is simply boss spelled backwards, and the good thing it almost holds the same meaning! Ssob is used to someone who you have high regards or respect, just don’t use it in a professional setting of course. Retmas and lodi are master and idol respectively and it also has the same meaning with ssob!
Sana All
Other forms: NAOL, Hope all
Bahala na in a sentence: “Grabe nagcoconcert na sila sa ibang bansa, sana all.” “NAOL, may jowa.”
Sana all, literally means “I hope everyone”. But in slang terms, sana all means “I wish I can experience or do that.” It somehow expresses envy (in a joking manner) whenever another person gets to do or have what you’ve wished for. NAOL is the shorter version of Sana All, (sa)NA OL (how all is pronounced).
Carps?
Other forms: RUG, game?, g?
Carps in a sentence: “Long time no see! Mall tayo, CARPS?” “G!”
Well, this simply proves how creative Filipinos are. Carps, short form of the word carpet, which also means rug in English, is an expression used when you’ll ask someone, a friend, if they are game to go with you somewhere. On the other hand, game is a word that expresses if someone is ready and is down to do something. And if you’re down, you just simply say G!
So how did carps and rug came to be?
Carps = carpet = rug = R U G? = Are you G?
Walwal
Other forms: N/A
Walwal in a sentence: “Finally, Friday at payday na! Tara walwal, G?” “G!”
Walwal or magwalwal is used when you want to party your heart out! In literal terms, walwal means saggy, baggy or loose. And well, when you’re out partying or getting wasted with alcohol, you start to let loose yourself or when you’re passed out due to alcohol some of your body parts may get soggy, baggy, or loose. That’s how walwal came to be.
Try ko
Other forms: Tanong ko muna parents, check ko schedule
Try ko in a sentence: “Uy, sa Saturday Tags (Tagaytay) tayo, carps?” Uhm, try ko ah
Have you ever tried to schedule a hangout with a friend and they replied try ko? Don’t have high hopes when they say this because more often than not your friend will not make it to your schedule, since we Filipinos tend to beat around the bush.
Chika
Other form: tea, tsaa
Chika in a sentence: Sis! I have chika!!! XX and YY split na! XX cheated daw kasi.
Most of the time, Chika or tea simply means gossip or rumor. It is used when we want to share the latest gossip around the town. Aling Marites surely has a handful. However, chika can also be used when you’re just simply catching up with your friends about life or you want to hear the latest life update about your friends.
These are just some of the Filipino slangs, how they are used, and how they came to be. Try to use these in your next chika session!
━━ Art By moira cas
