“Mum” in every Philippine language
Mum across 9 languages, and what the differences tell you.
Last updated
Side by side
| Language | Mum |
|---|---|
| English | Mum |
| Tagalog | Nanay |
| Ilocano | Nanang |
| Cebuano | Nanay |
| Hiligaynon | Nanay |
| Waray | Nanay |
| Bikol | Nanay |
| Kapampangan | Ima |
| Pangasinan | Nanay |
What the pattern shows
Nanay is the near-universal informal form. Ilocano nanang keeps the same shape with its own ending, and Kapampangan ima stands apart — the formal ina sits behind most of these, but nanay is what people actually say.
Where they agree
- Nanay — Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Bikol, Pangasinan
Standing alone: Ilocano (Nanang) and Kapampangan (Ima).
Watch out
ima does not mean the same thing everywhere:
- A hand in Ilocano
- A mother in Kapampangan
Two Luzon languages a couple of provinces apart, three letters, nothing in common.
More family & people
The whole category as a word list: Ilocano Family and People Words · Tagalog Family and People 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.