“Mountain” in every Philippine language
Mountain across 9 languages, and what the differences tell you.
Last updated
Side by side
| Language | Mountain |
|---|---|
| English | Mountain |
| Tagalog | Bundok |
| Ilocano | Bantay |
| Cebuano | Bukid |
| Hiligaynon | Bukid |
| Waray | Bukid |
| Bikol | Bukid |
| Kapampangan | Bunduk |
| Pangasinan | Palandey |
What the pattern shows
Two traps at once. Ilocano 'bantay' is a mountain; in Tagalog it is a guard. Visayan 'bukid' is a mountain; in Tagalog 'bukid' is a field or farm.
Where they agree
- Bukid — Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Bikol
Standing alone: Tagalog (Bundok), Ilocano (Bantay), Kapampangan (Bunduk) and Pangasinan (Palandey).
Watch out
bantay does not mean the same thing everywhere:
- A mountain in Ilocano
- A guard; to watch over in Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon
Place names carry it: Bantay in Ilocos Sur is not a town named after a guard.
bukid does not mean the same thing everywhere:
- A field, farmland, the countryside in Tagalog
- A mountain in Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Bikol
A Tagalog speaker told to head for the bukid pictures farmland; a Cebuano speaker means uphill.
More nature & weather
The whole category as a word list: Ilocano Words for Nature and Weather · Tagalog Words for Nature and Weather
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.