Ilocano→Tagalog
Free Ilocano and Tagalog translation

Bikol to Tagalog Phrasebook

280 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. Both sit in the Central Philippine group, so they share structure and a layer of Spanish-era vocabulary, but Bikol's core words are its own — marhay for good, dai for no, harong for house, payo for head. A Tagalog speaker picks out numbers and loanwords and little else. Bikolanos generally understand Tagalog, because it is the language of school and television, not because the two are alike.

Phrases
280
Categories
24
Cited sources
2
Pending review
280
Tagalog to Bikol

Showing all 280 phrases across 24 categories.

Greetings

The opener changes in every one of these languages — this is the fastest way to tell them apart.

Greetings: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Marhay na agapending reviewMagandang umagaGood 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 reviewMagandang haponGood afternoon
Marhay na banggipending reviewMagandang gabiGood evening
Marhay na aldawpending reviewMagandang arawGood day
Kumusta ka?pending reviewKumusta 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 reviewMabuti namanI'm fine
Paarampending reviewPaalamGoodbyeCebuano 'ayo-ayo' and Hiligaynon 'halong' both mean 'take care' rather than 'farewell'; a bare word for goodbye is uncommon in the Visayan languages, and 'bye' is what people actually say.
Marhay na banggipending reviewMagandang gabiGood night (on parting)

Courtesy

Thank you, sorry, yes and no.

Courtesy: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Salamatpending reviewSalamatThank 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 reviewMaraming salamatThank 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'.
Daing ano manpending reviewWalang anumanYou're welcomeWaray's own name comes from this construction — 'waray' is the word for 'none', and the language is named after how often outsiders heard it.
Iyopending reviewOoYesFour 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 reviewHindiNoIlocano 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 reviewPaumanhinSorryIn everyday speech 'sorry' and 'pasensya' are what most speakers actually say in all eight; the native forms above are what you will see written.
Tabipending reviewPakiusapPleaseNone of these behave like English 'please'. They are requests in their own right — Cebuano 'palihug' is closer to 'do me the favour' — and are usually attached to the verb rather than added at the end.
Tabi popending reviewMakikiraan poExcuse me
Mayong problemapending reviewWalang problemaNo problemThe word for 'none' is the giveaway: wala, awan, walay, waray, mayo. Waray-speakers are named after theirs.
Mag-ingat kapending reviewIngat kaTake care

Introductions

Names and first meetings.

Introductions: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Ano an pangaran mo?pending reviewAno ang pangalan mo?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 reviewAng pangalan ko ay…My name is…
Maugma ako na mamidbid kapending reviewIkinagagalak kitang makilalaNice to meet you
Taga-sain ka?pending reviewTaga-saan 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.

Understanding: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Dai ko nasasabutanpending reviewHindi ko naiintindihanI don't understand
Tataong ka mag-English?pending reviewMarunong ka bang mag-Ingles?Do you speak English?The verb for 'to know how' differs completely: kamao, kabalo, maaram, tataong. None of them is the Tagalog 'marunong'.
Tabi otrohapending reviewPakiulit nga poPlease say it again
Tabi luway-luwaypending reviewPakidahan-dahan poPlease speak slowly
Ano ini?pending reviewAno ito?What is this?
Nasasabutan kopending reviewNaiintindihan koI understand
Ano an apod kaini?pending reviewAno ang tawag dito?What is this called?

Numbers

Native numerals one to ten, which diverge sharply between the Luzon and Visayan languages.

Numbers: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Saropending reviewIsaOneCebuano and Waray 'usa' is a false friend of the highest order: in Tagalog 'usa' is a deer.
Duwapending reviewDalawaTwo
Tulopending reviewTatloThree
Apatpending reviewApatFour
Limapending reviewLimaFiveThe 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 reviewAnimSix
Pitopending reviewPitoSeven
Walopending reviewWaloEight
Siyampending reviewSiyamNine
Sampulopending reviewSampuTenPangasinan 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 reviewLabing-isaElevenThree 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 reviewLabindalawaTwelve
Duwang pulopending reviewDalawampuTwentyCebuano 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 reviewTatlumpuThirty
Limang pulopending reviewLimampuFifty
Sanggatospending reviewIsang daanOne 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 reviewIsang liboOne thousand

Question words

Who, what, where and when — the words that differ most and trip up readers most.

Question words: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Anopending reviewAnoWhat
Siisaypending reviewSinoWhoHiligaynon '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 reviewSaanWhereSeven distinct words. Cebuano 'asa' is a false friend in Tagalog, where it means to hope or depend on someone.
Nuarinpending reviewKailanWhen
Pira?pending reviewMagkano?How much?
Pira?pending reviewIlan?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.

Time & days: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Ngonyanpending reviewNgayonToday
Sa agapending reviewBukasTomorrowIlocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'.
Kasuhaponpending reviewKahaponYesterday
Aldawpending reviewArawDayIn 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 reviewGabiNight
Semanapending reviewLinggoWeek
Taonpending reviewTaonYear
Lunespending reviewLunesMondayAll eight took the Spanish weekday names wholesale. Only Sunday diverges — see below.
Martespending reviewMartesTuesday
Miyerkulespending reviewMiyerkulesWednesday
Huwebespending reviewHuwebesThursday
Biyernespending reviewBiyernesFriday
Sabadopending reviewSabadoSaturday
Domingopending reviewLinggoSundayTagalog 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'.
Udtopending reviewTanghaliNoon
Agapending reviewUmagaMorning
Mayamayapending reviewMamayaLaterThe sharpest time-word trap in the Visayas. Hiligaynon 'karon' means later; Cebuano 'karon' means now. The same word moves an appointment in opposite directions.
Oraspending reviewOrasHour
Pirmipending reviewLagiAlways

Family & people

Relationships and forms of address.

Family & people: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Inapending reviewInaMotherKapampangan 'ima' is a mother; Ilocano 'ima' is a hand. Two Luzon languages a hundred kilometres apart, same three letters, nothing in common.
Amapending reviewAmaFather
Nanaypending reviewNanayMum
Tataypending reviewTatayDad
Akipending reviewAnakChild'Anak' is the offspring relationship in all eight; Bikol 'aki' is the exception and is a child in general.
Tugangpending reviewKapatidSiblingSix unrelated roots. Only Tagalog 'kapatid' and Kapampangan 'kapatad' match, and that is a loan rather than shared inheritance.
Lolapending reviewLolaGrandmother
Lolopending reviewLoloGrandfatherPangasinan 'laki' is a grandfather. In Tagalog, Cebuano and most of the rest, 'lalaki' is simply a man — close enough to mislead.
Katoodpending reviewKaibiganFriendEight languages, eight unrelated words. Kapampangan 'kaluguran' doubles as a term of affection, which is why 'Kaluguran daka' means 'I love you'.
Lalakipending reviewLalakiMan
Babayipending reviewBabaeWoman
Agompending reviewAsawaSpouse'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 reviewPangalanName
Kataningpending reviewKapitbahayNeighbour
Umboypending reviewSanggolBaby
Tiyopending reviewTiyoUncle
Tiyapending reviewTiyaAunt

Food & eating

Meals, ingredients and asking for them.

Food & eating: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Bagaspending reviewBigasRice (uncooked)All eight distinguish uncooked grain from cooked rice with separate words — a distinction English has to spell out.
Sirapending reviewIsdaFishBikol 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 reviewKarneMeat
Manokpending reviewManokChicken
Urigpending reviewBaboyPig
Sugokpending reviewItlogEggOne 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 reviewAsinSaltThe province of Pangasinan is named for this word — 'pang-asin-an', the place where salt is made.
Gulaypending reviewGulayVegetable
Magkakanpending reviewKumainTo 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 reviewGutom na akoI'm hungry
Masirampending reviewMasarapDeliciousEight languages, eight unrelated words for the same compliment. If you learn one word from this list, learn the local one for this.
Basog na akopending reviewBusog na akoI'm full
Tinapaypending reviewTinapayBread
Asukarpending reviewAsukalSugar
Batagpending reviewSagingBanana
Niyogpending reviewNiyogCoconut
Manggapending reviewManggaMango
Maispending reviewMaisCorn
Bawangpending reviewBawangGarlicThe Visayan languages took the Spanish 'ajos'; the Luzon languages kept the native 'bawang'.
Sabawpending reviewSabawSoup, broth
Mahamispending reviewMatamisSweet
Maalsompending reviewMaasimSour
Maharangpending reviewMaanghangSpicy
Maalatpending reviewMaalatSalty
Maglutopending reviewMaglutoTo cook
Platitopending reviewPlatoPlate
Kutsarapending reviewKutsaraSpoon

Drinks

Water, coffee and what to order.

Drinks: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Tubigpending reviewTubigWaterThe 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 reviewKapeCoffee
Gataspending reviewGatasMilk
Mag-inompending reviewUminomTo drink
Tubig tabipending reviewPakiabot ng tubigWater, please
Tsaapending reviewTsaaTea
Serbesapending reviewSerbesaBeer
Mainit na tubigpending reviewMainit na tubigHot water
Malipot na tubigpending reviewMalamig na tubigCold water

Market & money

Prices, haggling, paying.

Market & money: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Kwartapending reviewPeraMoneyTagalog took 'pera' from Spanish 'perra'; everything north and south of it took 'cuarta' instead. The two are not interchangeable outside Manila.
Mahalpending reviewMahalExpensiveIn 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.
Baratopending reviewMuraCheapFour of the eight reach for the Spanish 'barato' rather than a native word, while Tagalog and Ilocano kept their own.
Magbakalpending reviewBumiliTo buyCebuano 'palit' is to buy; in Tagalog 'palit' is to exchange or swap. Same root, opposite ends of a transaction.
Saudanpending reviewPalengkeMarket
Pira ini?pending reviewMagkano ito?How much is this?
Mahal na marhaypending reviewMasyadong mahalThat's too expensive
Pwede tawad?pending reviewPwedeng tawad?Can you lower the price?
Magtindapending reviewMagbentaTo sell

Directions

Left, right, here, there and how far.

Directions: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Walapending reviewKaliwaLeftThe 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 reviewKananRight
Digdipending reviewDitoHereHiligaynon 'diri' is 'here'. Waray 'diri' is 'not'. The two languages are neighbours and this pair catches people constantly.
Dumanpending reviewDoonThere
Harayopending reviewMalayoFar
Haranipending reviewMalapitNear
Sain an banyo?pending reviewNasaan ang banyo?Where is the toilet?
Magdumanpending reviewPumuntaTo go
Diretsopending reviewDiretsoStraight ahead
Itaaspending reviewTaasUp
Ibabapending reviewBabaDown
Laogpending reviewLoobInside
Luwaspending reviewLabasOutside

Health & emergency

The phrases worth knowing before you need them.

Health & emergency: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Tabang!pending reviewTulong!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 reviewDoktorDoctor
Ospitalpending reviewOspitalHospital
May hilang akopending reviewMay sakit akoI am sick
Makulogpending reviewMasakitIt hurtsWaray 'maul-ul' and Bikol 'makulog' share nothing with the 'sakit' the other six use.
Pulispending reviewPulisPolice
Kalayo!pending reviewSunog!Fire!Bikol shouts 'Kalayo!', which in Tagalog would be parsed as 'distance'. In an emergency that is the worst possible ambiguity.
Parahabon!pending reviewMagnanakaw!Thief!
Mag-ingat kapending reviewMag-ingat kaBe careful
Nawara akopending reviewNaligaw akoI am lost
Kalinturapending reviewLagnatFever
Kulog kan payopending reviewSakit ng uloHeadache

The body

Head to foot, where several of these languages share nothing at all.

The body: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Payopending reviewUloHeadBikol 'payo' is a head. In Tagalog 'payo' is advice — which makes it one of the neatest false friends in the country.
Matapending reviewMataEye
Kamotpending reviewKamayHandThree 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 reviewPaaFoot
Ngusopending reviewBibigMouthVisayan 'baba' is a mouth; Tagalog 'baba' is a chin, and with different stress it is also 'down'. Neighbouring body parts, different words.
Tulakpending reviewTiyanStomach
Buhokpending reviewBuhokHair
Talingapending reviewTaingaEar
Dungopending reviewIlongNose
Ngiponpending reviewNgipinTooth
Dugopending reviewDugoBloodIlocano and Kapampangan both say 'daya' for blood — and in Tagalog and Cebuano the same word means cheating. Worth care in any medical setting.
Pusopending reviewPusoHeart

Nature & weather

Sun, rain, sea and mountain.

Nature & weather: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Saldangpending reviewArawSunIlocano 'init' is the sun; Tagalog 'init' is heat. Related idea, different part of speech, and machine translation routinely mixes the two.
Bulanpending reviewBuwanMoonSeven of the eight kept 'bulan'; Tagalog alone shifted the l to w. The same word means 'month' in all of them.
Bitoonpending reviewBituinStar
Uranpending reviewUlanRainIlocano is alone here. 'Tudo' shares nothing with the ulan/uran the other seven use.
Dagatpending reviewDagatSea
Bukidpending reviewBundokMountainTwo 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 reviewBahayHouse
Kalayopending reviewApoyFireVisayan 'kalayo' is fire; Tagalog 'kalayo' would be parsed as 'distance'. The Luzon languages all keep apoy/apuy.
Salogpending reviewIlogRiverWaray and Bikol 'salog' looks close to Tagalog 'ilog' but is a separate root — and in Cebuano 'salog' is a floor.
Dagapending reviewLupaLand, soilSix unrelated roots for the ground under your feet, and Ilocano 'daga' collides head-on with Tagalog, where it means a rat.
Kahoypending reviewPunoTree
Burakpending reviewBulaklakFlowerIlocano 'sabong' is a flower. In Tagalog 'sabong' is cockfighting — an unusually large gap for two languages spoken on the same island.
Gapopending reviewBatoStone
Durospending reviewHanginWind
Langitpending reviewLangitSkyPangasinan 'tawen' is the sky; Ilocano 'tawen' is a year. Two Northern Luzon languages, one word, no shared meaning.
Linogpending reviewLindolEarthquake
Bagyopending reviewBagyoTyphoon

Describing things

Big, small, good, beautiful.

Describing things: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Dakulapending reviewMalakiBig
Saditpending reviewMaliitSmall
Marhaypending reviewMabutiGood
Maraotpending reviewMasamaBad
Magayonpending reviewMagandaBeautifulBikol 'magayon' is the root behind Mayon, the volcano. Waray 'mahusay' means beautiful; in Tagalog the same word means skilled or well-arranged.
Mainitpending reviewMainitHot
Malipotpending reviewMalamigCold
Marikaspending reviewMabilisFast
Bagopending reviewBagoNew
Lumapending reviewLumaOld (of a thing)Ilocano and the Visayan languages use 'daan' for old — the same string Tagalog uses for a road.
Gurangpending reviewMatandaOld (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 reviewMaramiMany
Kadikitpending reviewKauntiFew
Halabapending reviewMahabaLong
Halipotpending reviewMaikliShort
Magabatpending reviewMabigatHeavy
Malinigpending reviewMalinisClean
Maatipending reviewMarumiDirty

Feelings

Saying how you are, and how you feel about someone.

Feelings: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Namumutan ta kapending reviewMahal kitaI love youEight languages and eight completely different verbs. This row alone answers the question of whether Philippine languages are 'dialects of each other'.
Maugmapending reviewMasayaHappy
Mamundopending reviewMalungkotSad
Pagalpending reviewPagodTired
Anggotpending reviewGalitAngry
Namimibian takapending reviewNamimiss kitaI miss you
Takotpending reviewTakotAfraid
Nagkukurahawpending reviewNagulatSurprised

Colours

Basic colour terms.

Colours: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Pulapending reviewPulaRed
Putipending reviewPutiWhite
Itompending reviewItimBlackKapampangan 'matuling' is black. Tagalog 'matulin' — one letter apart — means fast.
Asulpending reviewAsulBlue
Berdepending reviewBerdeGreenOnly Kapampangan kept a native word. The other seven took the Spanish 'verde' and never replaced it.
Kahelpending reviewKahelOrange
Abuhonpending reviewAbuhinGreyEvery one of these is built on the word for ash — abo, dapo — rather than being a colour term of its own.

Everyday verbs

The actions that carry most sentences.

Everyday verbs: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Magturogpending reviewMatulogTo sleep
Mahilingpending reviewMakitaTo see
Sabihonpending reviewSabihinTo sayIlocano and Pangasinan share 'ibaga' — but in Tagalog 'baga' is an ember, and in Ilocano it is the colour red.
Arampending reviewAlamTo know
Gustopending reviewGustoTo wantKapampangan 'buri' is to want or like. In Tagalog 'buri' is a species of palm.
Magtaopending reviewMagbigayTo give
Magtrabahopending reviewMagtrabahoTo work
Maglakawpending reviewMaglakadTo walk
Magtarampending reviewMagsalitaTo 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.
Maghinanyogpending reviewMakinigTo listen
Magsuratpending reviewSumulatTo write
Magbasapending reviewMagbasaTo read
Magtukawpending reviewUmupoTo sit
Magtindogpending reviewTumayoTo stand
Magdalaganpending reviewTumakboTo run
Maghalatpending reviewMaghintayTo wait
Buksanpending reviewBuksanTo open
Isarapending reviewIsaraTo close
Maghugaspending reviewMaghugasTo wash
Magdigdipending reviewPumunta ritoTo come here

Months

The Spanish-derived month names, and where the spellings part company.

Months: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Eneropending reviewEneroJanuaryThe 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 reviewPebreroFebruary
Marsopending reviewMarsoMarch
Abrilpending reviewAbrilApril
Mayopending reviewMayoMay
Hunyopending reviewHunyoJune
Hulyopending reviewHulyoJuly
Agostopending reviewAgostoAugust
Setyembrepending reviewSetyembreSeptember
Oktubrepending reviewOktubreOctober
Nobyembrepending reviewNobyembreNovember
Disyembrepending reviewDisyembreDecember

Getting around

Roads, boats, jeepneys and how to get off one.

Getting around: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Tinampopending reviewDaanRoadSeven of the eight use 'dalan'. Tagalog's 'daan' is the same root worn down, and Bikol went its own way with 'tinampo'.
Barotopending reviewBangkaBoat
Awtopending reviewKotseCar
Magsakaypending reviewSumakayTo ride
Para tabipending reviewPara poStop here, please'Para' comes from Spanish 'parar', to stop, and is the universal way to get off a jeepney anywhere in the country.
Sain ka maduman?pending reviewSaan ka pupunta?Where are you going?
Tiketpending reviewTiketTicket

Somewhere to stay

Rooms, doors, keys — a category where almost nothing carries between languages.

Somewhere to stay: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Yabapending reviewSusiKeyAnother row where nothing carries over. Ilocano 'tulbek' and Tagalog 'susi' share no history at all.
Pintopending reviewPintoDoor
Bintanapending reviewBintanaWindowIlocano 'tawa' is a window. In Tagalog it is laughter.
Kuwartopending reviewKuwartoRoom
Katrepending reviewKamaBed
Kasilyaspending reviewBanyoToilet

Things to buy

Everyday items you might need to ask for.

Things to buy: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Badopending reviewDamitClothes
Sapatospending reviewSapatosShoes
Bulongpending reviewGamotMedicineWorth 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 reviewSabonSoap
Libropending reviewLibroBook
Papelpending reviewPapelPaper

Animals

Everyday creatures, and several of the sharpest false friends on the site.

Animals: Bikol phrases with Tagalog and English translations
BikolTagalogEnglish
Ayampending reviewAsoDogFour 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 reviewPusaCat
Karabawpending reviewKalabawCarabaoThe national animal, and three of the eight have their own word for it — Ilocano nuang, Kapampangan damulag, Pangasinan dueg.
Kandingpending reviewKambingGoat
Bakapending reviewBakaCow
Kabayopending reviewKabayoHorse
Halaspending reviewAhasSnakeFive unrelated words, and the one worth memorising before you need it. Ilocano and Pangasinan share 'uleg', which is unusual — the two rarely agree.
Gamgampending reviewIbonBirdCebuano '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 reviewLamokMosquito

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.

  • walahigh risk
    In Bikol
    Left — the direction. It also carries the 'none' sense, so only context separates them.
    In Tagalog
    Nothing, none, absent.

    The sentence parses either way, which is what makes it dangerous — a Tagalog speaker being given directions in the Visayas can understand every word and still turn the wrong way.

  • sirahigh risk
    In Bikol
    Fish.
    In Tagalog
    Broken, spoiled, ruined.

    A menu or a market sign reads completely differently depending on which language you assume.

  • bukidhigh risk
    In Bikol
    A mountain.
    In Tagalog
    A field, farmland, the countryside.

    A Tagalog speaker told to head for the bukid pictures farmland; a Cebuano speaker means uphill.

  • kalayohigh risk
    In Bikol
    Fire.
    In Tagalog
    Distance — parsed as ka- plus layo, 'far'.

    Tagalog reads it as ka- attached to layo, 'distance'. It is a single indivisible word in the Visayan languages.

  • dagahigh risk
    In Bikol
    Land, soil, the ground.
    In Tagalog
    A rat.

    Both are ordinary nouns that turn up in ordinary sentences, and nothing in the grammar signals which one is meant. Buying land and buying a rat are differently priced.

  • payo
    In Bikol
    A head.
    In Tagalog
    Advice, counsel.

    Both are ordinary, high-frequency words, so the collision comes up constantly rather than rarely.

  • kamot
    In Bikol
    A hand.
    In Tagalog
    To scratch.

    Both turn up in instructions and descriptions of physical action, so the swap is easy to miss.

  • tulak
    In Bikol
    A stomach.
    In Tagalog
    To push.

    Bikol tulak is an ordinary body part and Tagalog tulak is an ordinary verb, so neither reader suspects a problem.

  • nguso
    In Bikol
    A mouth.
    In Tagalog
    A snout; pouted lips.

    Same body region, different animal: the Tagalog word is for a snout or pouted lips, the Bikol one is the mouth itself.

How often the machine gets these right

We ran 280 Bikol entries from the phrasebook below through the same engine this site uses, and compared each result against the human-written Tagalog. Categories are our own; the comparison ignores punctuation and casing. Neither Bikol nor Tagalog 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 Tagalog for 68.6% of 280 phrases. The rest were partly or entirely wrong.

Least reliable

  • Everyday verbs35%
  • Courtesy50%
  • Somewhere to stay50%
  • Things to buy50%
  • Directions54%

Most reliable

  • Health & emergency100%
  • Time & days90%
  • Animals89%

Sources

Last updated 2026-08-06. 280 entries are marked “pending review” — carried on general reference and awaiting confirmation from a native speaker.