Bikol to Kapampangan Phrasebook
198 everyday phrases, grouped by the situation you need them in. Compiled from published references rather than generated by a translation engine, and marked pending review until native speakers have confirmed it.
No. Speakers of Bikol and Kapampangan cannot follow each other without having learned the other language. They share sentence structure and Spanish loanwords, which makes written text look more approachable than it is, and almost none of the high-frequency vocabulary.
- Phrases
- 198
- Categories
- 24
- Cited sources
- 2
- Pending review
- 198
Showing all 198 phrases across 24 categories.
Greetings
The opener changes in every one of these languages — this is the fastest way to tell them apart.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Marhay na agapending review | Mayap a abak | Good morningEvery one of these is literally 'good' + 'morning', and the word for 'good' is the giveaway: maayo in the Visayan languages, maupay in Waray, marhay in Bikol, mayap in Kapampangan, maabig in Pangasinan, naimbag in Ilocano. |
| Marhay na haponpending review | Mayap a gatpanapun | Good afternoon |
| Marhay na banggipending review | Mayap a bengi | Good evening |
| Marhay na aldawpending review | Mayap a aldo | Good day |
| Kumusta ka?pending review | Komusta ka? | How are you?The one phrase that is effectively identical everywhere, because all eight borrowed it from Spanish '¿cómo está?'. Do not read that as evidence the languages are close. |
| Marhay manpending review | Mayap ku naman | I'm fine |
Courtesy
Thank you, sorry, yes and no.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Salamatpending review | Salamat | Thank youIlocano is the odd one out. 'Salamat' is understood in Ilocos, but 'agyamanak' — literally 'I am grateful' — is the native form and the one a speaker will use back to you. |
| Dakulang salamatpending review | Dakal a salamat | Thank you very muchThe intensifier is the tell: daghan (Cebuano), madamo (Hiligaynon), damo (Waray), dakula (Bikol), dakal (Kapampangan), dakel (Pangasinan) — all meaning 'many', none of them the Tagalog 'marami'. |
| Iyopending review | Wa | YesFour different words for yes across eight languages. Kapampangan 'wa' and Pangasinan 'on' are unrecognisable to a Tagalog speaker, and machine translation frequently passes them through untouched. |
| Daipending review | Ali | NoIlocano also uses 'saan' for no, which is a genuine trap: 'saan' is 'where' in Tagalog. Hiligaynon 'indi' and Waray 'diri' look alike but Waray 'diri' collides with Hiligaynon 'diri', meaning 'here'. |
| Patawada akopending review | Pasensya na | SorryIn everyday speech 'sorry' and 'pasensya' are what most speakers actually say in all eight; the native forms above are what you will see written. |
Introductions
Names and first meetings.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ano an pangaran mo?pending review | Nanu ing lagyu mu? | What is your name?Kapampangan shares no root here at all — 'nanu' for what, 'lagyu' for name — which is a fair summary of how far Central Luzon sits from everything else on this list. |
| An pangaran ko…pending review | Ing lagyu ku… | My name is… |
| Taga-sain ka?pending review | Taga-nokarin ka? | Where are you from?Same frame, eight different question words bolted onto it. This single row is the clearest illustration of why machine translation between these languages fails: the shared 'taga-' makes the sentence look translatable while the word that carries the meaning is unique to each. |
Understanding
Getting by when you do not follow.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Dai ko nasasabutanpending review | E ku aintindian | I don't understand |
| Ano ini?pending review | Nanu ini? | What is this? |
| Nasasabutan kopending review | Aintindian ku | I understand |
Numbers
Native numerals one to ten, which diverge sharply between the Luzon and Visayan languages.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Saropending review | Metung | OneCebuano and Waray 'usa' is a false friend of the highest order: in Tagalog 'usa' is a deer. |
| Duwapending review | Adwa | Two |
| Tulopending review | Atlu | Three |
| Apatpending review | Apat | Four |
| Limapending review | Lima | FiveThe one numeral that survives intact across all eight — and in Pangasinan 'lima' is also the word for 'hand', which is where the numeral came from in the first place. |
| Anompending review | Anam | Six |
| Pitopending review | Pitu | Seven |
| Walopending review | Walu | Eight |
| Siyampending review | Siyam | Nine |
| Sampulopending review | Apulu | TenPangasinan numerals carry a counting suffix -ra that none of the others use, so 'limara' and 'samplora' look longer than their neighbours for a structural reason rather than a phonetic one. |
| Kagsaropending review | Labing metung | ElevenThree different strategies for building teens: Tagalog and Kapampangan prefix labing-, the Visayan languages say 'ten and one', and Bikol has a dedicated form (kagsaro). |
| Kagduwapending review | Labingadwa | Twelve |
| Duwang pulopending review | Adwangpulu | TwentyCebuano and Hiligaynon 'kaluhaan' bears no visible relation to their own word for two, duha. Waray's 'karuhaan' shows the same form after its regular l→r shift. |
| Tulong pulopending review | Atlungpulu | Thirty |
| Limang pulopending review | Limangpulu | Fifty |
| Sanggatospending review | Dinalan | One hundredKapampangan 'dinalan' and Pangasinan 'sanlasus' share nothing with the gatos/daan the rest use — another reminder that the Luzon languages are not a group. |
| Sangribopending review | Libu | One thousand |
Question words
Who, what, where and when — the words that differ most and trip up readers most.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Anopending review | Nanu | What |
| Siisaypending review | Ninu | WhoHiligaynon 'sin-o' and Waray 'hin-o' differ by a single consonant, and that s→h shift runs through the whole of Waray. It is the single most reliable way to tell the two apart. |
| Sainpending review | Nokarin | WhereSeven distinct words. Cebuano 'asa' is a false friend in Tagalog, where it means to hope or depend on someone. |
| Nuarinpending review | Kapilan | When |
| Pira?pending review | Magkanu? | How much? |
| Pira?pending review | Pilan? | How many?Cebuano and Hiligaynon 'pila' means 'how many'. In Tagalog 'pila' is a queue — which makes 'Pila?' one of the most commonly misread words between Manila and Cebu. |
Time & days
Today, tomorrow, day and night.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ngonyanpending review | Ngeni | Today |
| Sa agapending review | Bukas | TomorrowIlocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'. |
| Kasuhaponpending review | Napun | Yesterday |
| Aldawpending review | Aldo | DayIn the Visayan languages 'adlaw' is both the day and the sun. Tagalog keeps the same double meaning in 'araw'; Ilocano does not — 'aldaw' is the day and 'init' is the sun. |
| Banggipending review | Bengi | Night |
| Semanapending review | Dominggo | Week |
| Taonpending review | Banwa | Year |
| Lunespending review | Lunes | MondayAll eight took the Spanish weekday names wholesale. Only Sunday diverges — see below. |
| Martespending review | Martes | Tuesday |
| Miyerkulespending review | Miyerkules | Wednesday |
| Huwebespending review | Huwebes | Thursday |
| Biyernespending review | Biyernes | Friday |
| Sabadopending review | Sabado | Saturday |
| Domingopending review | Dominggo | SundayTagalog is the outlier: 'Linggo' where the rest kept 'Domingo'. Pangasinan went further and uses 'Simba', from the word for churchgoing — the same root Tagalog uses for the verb 'to attend mass'. |
| Agapending review | Abak | Morning |
| Oraspending review | Oras | Hour |
Family & people
Relationships and forms of address.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Inapending review | Ima | MotherKapampangan 'ima' is a mother; Ilocano 'ima' is a hand. Two Luzon languages a hundred kilometres apart, same three letters, nothing in common. |
| Amapending review | Ibpa | Father |
| Nanaypending review | Ima | Mum |
| Tataypending review | Tatang | Dad |
| Akipending review | Anak | Child'Anak' is the offspring relationship in all eight; Bikol 'aki' is the exception and is a child in general. |
| Tugangpending review | Kapatad | SiblingSix unrelated roots. Only Tagalog 'kapatid' and Kapampangan 'kapatad' match, and that is a loan rather than shared inheritance. |
| Lolapending review | Apu | Grandmother |
| Lolopending review | Apu | GrandfatherPangasinan 'laki' is a grandfather. In Tagalog, Cebuano and most of the rest, 'lalaki' is simply a man — close enough to mislead. |
| Katoodpending review | Kaluguran | FriendEight languages, eight unrelated words. Kapampangan 'kaluguran' doubles as a term of affection, which is why 'Kaluguran daka' means 'I love you'. |
| Lalakipending review | Lalaki | Man |
| Babayipending review | Babai | Woman |
| Agompending review | Asawa | Spouse'Asawa' covers husband and wife alike in seven of the eight — the sex of the spouse is not marked. Bikol 'agom' is the odd one out. |
| Pangaranpending review | Lagyu | Name |
Food & eating
Meals, ingredients and asking for them.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Bagaspending review | Abias | Rice (uncooked)All eight distinguish uncooked grain from cooked rice with separate words — a distinction English has to spell out. |
| Sirapending review | Asan | FishBikol 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. |
| Karnepending review | Karne | Meat |
| Manokpending review | Manuk | Chicken |
| Urigpending review | Babi | Pig |
| Sugokpending review | Ebun | EggOne of the sharpest splits in this file. 'Itlog' covers Tagalog through Hiligaynon, then Waray, Bikol, Kapampangan and Pangasinan each go their own way entirely. |
| Asinpending review | Asin | SaltThe province of Pangasinan is named for this word — 'pang-asin-an', the place where salt is made. |
| Gulaypending review | Gule | Vegetable |
| Magkakanpending review | Mangan | To eatIlocano, Kapampangan and Pangasinan all use 'mangan' — a genuine Luzon isogloss, and one of the very few things the three share against the Visayan 'kaon'. |
| Gutom na akopending review | Danupan ku na | I'm hungry |
| Masirampending review | Manyaman | DeliciousEight languages, eight unrelated words for the same compliment. If you learn one word from this list, learn the local one for this. |
| Tinapaypending review | Tinape | Bread |
| Asukarpending review | Asukal | Sugar |
| Batagpending review | Saging | Banana |
| Niyogpending review | Ungut | Coconut |
| Manggapending review | Mangga | Mango |
| Maispending review | Mais | Corn |
| Bawangpending review | Bawang | GarlicThe Visayan languages took the Spanish 'ajos'; the Luzon languages kept the native 'bawang'. |
| Mahamispending review | Mayumu | Sweet |
| Maalsompending review | Maaslam | Sour |
| Maglutopending review | Maglutu | To cook |
| Kutsarapending review | Kutsara | Spoon |
Drinks
Water, coffee and what to order.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tubigpending review | Danum | WaterThe Luzon/Visayan split in one word: danum in the north, tubig everywhere else. Tagalog sides with the Visayan languages here despite sitting on Luzon. |
| Kapepending review | Kape | Coffee |
| Gataspending review | Gatas | Milk |
| Mag-inompending review | Minum | To drink |
Market & money
Prices, haggling, paying.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kwartapending review | Salapi | MoneyTagalog took 'pera' from Spanish 'perra'; everything north and south of it took 'cuarta' instead. The two are not interchangeable outside Manila. |
| Mahalpending review | Maal | ExpensiveIn Tagalog 'mahal' means both expensive and beloved. Ilocano keeps them apart — 'nangina' for costly, 'ay-ayat' for love — so the pun does not survive translation. |
| Magbakalpending review | Salihan | To buyCebuano 'palit' is to buy; in Tagalog 'palit' is to exchange or swap. Same root, opposite ends of a transaction. |
| Saudanpending review | Pamalengke | Market |
| Pira ini?pending review | Magkanu ini? | How much is this? |
Directions
Left, right, here, there and how far.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Walapending review | Kaili | LeftThe most dangerous word on this page. 'Wala' means left in four of these languages and 'none' in Tagalog — so a Tagalog speaker hearing directions in Cebu can understand the sentence and take the wrong turn. |
| Tuopending review | Wanan | Right |
| Digdipending review | Keni | HereHiligaynon 'diri' is 'here'. Waray 'diri' is 'not'. The two languages are neighbours and this pair catches people constantly. |
| Dumanpending review | Karin | There |
| Harayopending review | Marayu | Far |
| Haranipending review | Malapit | Near |
| Magdumanpending review | Ume | To go |
| Diretsopending review | Diretsu | Straight ahead |
| Itaaspending review | Babo | Up |
| Laogpending review | Lub | Inside |
Health & emergency
The phrases worth knowing before you need them.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tabang!pending review | Saup! | Help!Worth memorising the local form before you need it. Cebuano 'tabang' is help; Hiligaynon 'tab-ang' is bland or tasteless, which is a poor thing to shout. |
| Doktorpending review | Doktor | Doctor |
| Ospitalpending review | Ospital | Hospital |
| May hilang akopending review | Masakit ku | I am sick |
| Pulispending review | Pulis | Police |
The body
Head to foot, where several of these languages share nothing at all.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Payopending review | Buntuk | HeadBikol 'payo' is a head. In Tagalog 'payo' is advice — which makes it one of the neatest false friends in the country. |
| Matapending review | Mata | Eye |
| Kamotpending review | Gamat | HandThree separate traps in one row: Ilocano 'ima' is Kapampangan for mother, Visayan 'kamot' is Tagalog for scratching, and Pangasinan 'lima' is the numeral five in every other language here. |
| Bitispending review | Bitis | Foot |
| Ngusopending review | Asbuk | MouthVisayan 'baba' is a mouth; Tagalog 'baba' is a chin, and with different stress it is also 'down'. Neighbouring body parts, different words. |
| Tulakpending review | Atyan | Stomach |
| Buhokpending review | Buak | Hair |
| Talingapending review | Balugbug | Ear |
| Dungopending review | Arung | Nose |
| Ngiponpending review | Ipan | Tooth |
| Dugopending review | Daya | BloodIlocano and Kapampangan both say 'daya' for blood — and in Tagalog and Cebuano the same word means cheating. Worth care in any medical setting. |
| Pusopending review | Pusu | Heart |
Nature & weather
Sun, rain, sea and mountain.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Saldangpending review | Aldo | SunIlocano 'init' is the sun; Tagalog 'init' is heat. Related idea, different part of speech, and machine translation routinely mixes the two. |
| Bulanpending review | Bulan | MoonSeven of the eight kept 'bulan'; Tagalog alone shifted the l to w. The same word means 'month' in all of them. |
| Bitoonpending review | Batwin | Star |
| Uranpending review | Uran | RainIlocano is alone here. 'Tudo' shares nothing with the ulan/uran the other seven use. |
| Dagatpending review | Dayatmalat | Sea |
| Bukidpending review | Bunduk | MountainTwo 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. |
| Harongpending review | Bale | House |
| Kalayopending review | Api | FireVisayan 'kalayo' is fire; Tagalog 'kalayo' would be parsed as 'distance'. The Luzon languages all keep apoy/apuy. |
| Salogpending review | Ilug | RiverWaray and Bikol 'salog' looks close to Tagalog 'ilog' but is a separate root — and in Cebuano 'salog' is a floor. |
| Dagapending review | Gabun | Land, soilSix unrelated roots for the ground under your feet, and Ilocano 'daga' collides head-on with Tagalog, where it means a rat. |
| Kahoypending review | Dutung | Tree |
| Burakpending review | Sampaga | FlowerIlocano 'sabong' is a flower. In Tagalog 'sabong' is cockfighting — an unusually large gap for two languages spoken on the same island. |
| Gapopending review | Batu | Stone |
| Durospending review | Angin | Wind |
| Bagyopending review | Bagyu | Typhoon |
Describing things
Big, small, good, beautiful.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Dakulapending review | Maragul | Big |
| Saditpending review | Malati | Small |
| Marhaypending review | Mayap | Good |
| Maraotpending review | Marok | Bad |
| Magayonpending review | Malagu | BeautifulBikol 'magayon' is the root behind Mayon, the volcano. Waray 'mahusay' means beautiful; in Tagalog the same word means skilled or well-arranged. |
| Mainitpending review | Mapali | Hot |
| Malipotpending review | Malamig | Cold |
| Bagopending review | Bayu | New |
| Lumapending review | Luma | Old (of a thing)Ilocano and the Visayan languages use 'daan' for old — the same string Tagalog uses for a road. |
| Gurangpending review | Matua | Old (of a person)Ilocano 'lakay' is an old man specifically; 'baket' is the word for an old woman, and that one collides with Kapampangan 'baket', meaning why. |
| Dakolpending review | Dakal | Many |
Feelings
Saying how you are, and how you feel about someone.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Namumutan ta kapending review | Kaluguran daka | I love youEight languages and eight completely different verbs. This row alone answers the question of whether Philippine languages are 'dialects of each other'. |
| Maugmapending review | Masaya | Happy |
Colours
Basic colour terms.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Pulapending review | Malutu | Red |
| Putipending review | Maputi | White |
| Itompending review | Matuling | BlackKapampangan 'matuling' is black. Tagalog 'matulin' — one letter apart — means fast. |
| Asulpending review | Asul | Blue |
| Berdepending review | Aluntian | GreenOnly Kapampangan kept a native word. The other seven took the Spanish 'verde' and never replaced it. |
Everyday verbs
The actions that carry most sentences.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Magturogpending review | Matudtud | To sleep |
| Mahilingpending review | Akit | To see |
| Arampending review | Balu | To know |
| Gustopending review | Buri | To wantKapampangan 'buri' is to want or like. In Tagalog 'buri' is a species of palm. |
| Magtaopending review | Mibie | To give |
| Magtrabahopending review | Magobra | To work |
| Magtarampending review | Magsalita | To speakThe Visayan languages disagree with each other completely here — sulti, hambal, yakan — which is a useful corrective to the idea that they are one language. |
| Magsuratpending review | Sumulat | To write |
| Magbasapending review | Magbasa | To read |
| Magtukawpending review | Lukluk | To sit |
| Magdigdipending review | Ume keni | To come here |
Months
The Spanish-derived month names, and where the spellings part company.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Eneropending review | Enero | JanuaryThe month names are Spanish in all eight languages. What varies is spelling: Tagalog respells the Spanish f as p (Pebrero), while several of the others keep Febrero. |
| Pebreropending review | Pebreru | February |
| Marsopending review | Marsu | March |
| Abrilpending review | Abril | April |
| Mayopending review | Mayu | May |
| Agostopending review | Agostu | August |
Getting around
Roads, boats, jeepneys and how to get off one.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tinampopending review | Dalan | RoadSeven of the eight use 'dalan'. Tagalog's 'daan' is the same root worn down, and Bikol went its own way with 'tinampo'. |
| Barotopending review | Bangka | Boat |
| Awtopending review | Kotsi | Car |
| Sain ka maduman?pending review | Nokarin ka munta? | Where are you going? |
Somewhere to stay
Rooms, doors, keys — a category where almost nothing carries between languages.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Pintopending review | Pasbul | Door |
| Bintanapending review | Awang | WindowIlocano 'tawa' is a window. In Tagalog it is laughter. |
| Kuwartopending review | Kuartu | Room |
Things to buy
Everyday items you might need to ask for.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Badopending review | Imalan | Clothes |
| Sapatospending review | Sapatus | Shoes |
| Bulongpending review | Ambun | MedicineWorth knowing before a pharmacy visit, and the source of a nasty trap: Tagalog 'gamot' is medicine, but in the Visayan languages the same word means a root. |
| Sabonpending review | Sabun | Soap |
| Libropending review | Libru | Book |
| Papelpending review | Papil | Paper |
Animals
Everyday creatures, and several of the sharpest false friends on the site.
| Bikol | Kapampangan | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ayampending review | Asu | DogFour unrelated words for the commonest domestic animal. Worth pairing with the Cebuano trap: 'aso' means smoke there, so the Tagalog word for dog is a real Cebuano word meaning something else entirely. |
| Ikospending review | Pusa | Cat |
| Karabawpending review | Damulag | CarabaoThe national animal, and three of the eight have their own word for it — Ilocano nuang, Kapampangan damulag, Pangasinan dueg. |
| Kandingpending review | Kambing | Goat |
| Bakapending review | Baka | Cow |
| Kabayopending review | Kabayu | Horse |
| Gamgampending review | Ayup | BirdCebuano 'langgam' is a bird; Tagalog 'langgam' is an ant. One of the most-cited false friends between the two largest languages in the country. |
| Lamokpending review | Amuk | Mosquito |
Words that trap you
These exist in both languages but mean different things. They are where confident readers get caught, and where machine translation is least reliable.
- banwa
- In Bikol
- A town, a homeland.
- In Kapampangan
- A year.
The Kapampangan sense is a span of time and the Visayan sense is a place, which makes for confusing translations of dates and addresses alike.
How often the machine gets these right
We ran 198 Bikol entries from the phrasebook below through the same engine this site uses, and compared each result against the human-written Kapampangan. Categories are our own; the comparison ignores punctuation and casing. Neither Bikol nor Kapampangan is well resourced and the engine routes between them through English, so this measures two stacked translations rather than one.
Machine output matched or came close to the human Kapampangan for 61.6% of 198 phrases. The rest were partly or entirely wrong.
Least reliable
- Market & money0%
- Directions30%
- Everyday verbs36%
- Greetings50%
- Months50%
Most reliable
- Drinks100%
- The body83%
- Colours80%
Sources
- Ilocano phrasebook — Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-07-26.
- 52 Useful Ilocano Words & Phrases to Learn for Travelers — Chill and Travel. Accessed 2026-07-26.
Last updated 2026-08-06. 198 entries are marked “pending review” — carried on general reference and awaiting confirmation from a native speaker.