“Fish” in every Philippine language
Fish across 9 languages, and what the differences tell you.
Last updated
Side by side
| Language | Fish |
|---|---|
| English | Fish |
| Tagalog | Isda |
| Ilocano | Ikan |
| Cebuano | Isda |
| Hiligaynon | Isda |
| Waray | Isda |
| Bikol | Sira |
| Kapampangan | Asan |
| Pangasinan | Sira |
What the pattern shows
Bikol and Pangasinan 'sira' is a fish. In Tagalog and Cebuano 'sira' means broken or spoiled — so a Bikolano menu can read alarmingly to a Manila reader.
Where they agree
- Isda — Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray
- Sira — Bikol, Pangasinan
Standing alone: Ilocano (Ikan) and Kapampangan (Asan).
Watch out
sira does not mean the same thing everywhere:
- Broken, spoiled, ruined in Tagalog, Cebuano
- Fish in Bikol, Pangasinan
A menu or a market sign reads completely differently depending on which language you assume.
asan does not mean the same thing everywhere:
- Where — the colloquial contraction of nasaan in Tagalog
- A fish in Kapampangan
Colloquial Tagalog drops the na- from nasaan, producing exactly the Kapampangan word for fish.
More food & eating
The whole category as a word list: Ilocano Food and Eating Words · Tagalog Food and Eating Words
Where this comes from
This row is one of 161 concept pages drawn from a parallel set of everyday vocabulary held across nine languages. You can browse all of them, download the whole set under CC BY-SA 4.0, or paste text to find out which language it is.
Compiled from published general reference and pending review by native speakers. If something here is wrong in a language you speak, please tell us.