“Head” in every Philippine language
Head across 9 languages, and what the differences tell you.
Last updated
Side by side
| Language | Head |
|---|---|
| English | Head |
| Tagalog | Ulo |
| Ilocano | Ulo |
| Cebuano | Ulo |
| Hiligaynon | Ulo |
| Waray | Ulo |
| Bikol | Payo |
| Kapampangan | Buntuk |
| Pangasinan | Ulo |
What the pattern shows
Bikol 'payo' is a head. In Tagalog 'payo' is advice — which makes it one of the neatest false friends in the country.
Where they agree
- Ulo — Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Pangasinan
Standing alone: Bikol (Payo) and Kapampangan (Buntuk).
Watch out
payo does not mean the same thing everywhere:
- Advice, counsel in Tagalog
- A head in Bikol
Both are ordinary, high-frequency words, so the collision comes up constantly rather than rarely.
More the body
The whole category as a word list: Ilocano Words for Parts of the Body · Tagalog Words for Parts of the Body
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.