Ilocano→Tagalog
Free Ilocano and Tagalog translation

Tagalog to Hiligaynon Phrasebook

287 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. Hiligaynon is a Bisayan language and Tagalog is not, and the everyday vocabulary is different from the first word — Kamusta aside, a Tagalog speaker gets little from spoken Ilonggo. Comprehension runs the other way for the usual reason: Tagalog is the language of school and national media.

Phrases
287
Categories
24
Cited sources
2
Pending review
287
Hiligaynon to Tagalog

Showing all 287 phrases across 24 categories.

Greetings

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

Greetings: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Magandang umagapending reviewMaayong agaGood 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.
Magandang haponpending reviewMaayong haponGood afternoon
Magandang gabipending reviewMaayong gab-iGood evening
Magandang arawpending reviewMaayong adlawGood day
Kumusta ka?pending reviewKamusta 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.
Mabuti namanpending reviewMaayo manI'm fine
Paalampending reviewHalongGoodbyeCebuano '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.
Magandang gabipending reviewMaayong gab-iGood night (on parting)
Ang tagal nating hindi nagkitapending reviewDugay na kita wala magkitaayLong time no see

Courtesy

Thank you, sorry, yes and no.

Courtesy: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
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.
Maraming salamatpending reviewMadamo gid nga 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'.
Walang anumanpending reviewWala sang 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.
Oopending reviewHuoYesFour 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.
Hindipending reviewIndiNoIlocano 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'.
Paumanhinpending reviewPatawara koSorryIn everyday speech 'sorry' and 'pasensya' are what most speakers actually say in all eight; the native forms above are what you will see written.
Pakiusappending reviewPalihogPleaseNone 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.
Makikiraan popending reviewTabi langExcuse me
Walang problemapending reviewWala problemaNo problemThe word for 'none' is the giveaway: wala, awan, walay, waray, mayo. Waray-speakers are named after theirs.
Ingat kapending reviewHalongTake care

Introductions

Names and first meetings.

Introductions: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Ano ang pangalan mo?pending reviewAno ang ngalan 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.
Ang pangalan ko ay…pending reviewAng ngalan ko…My name is…
Ikinagagalak kitang makilalapending reviewNalipay ako nga makilala kaNice to meet you
Taga-saan ka?pending reviewTaga-diin 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: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Hindi ko naiintindihanpending reviewWala ko makaintiendiI don't understand
Marunong ka bang mag-Ingles?pending reviewKabalo ka mag-English?Do you speak English?The verb for 'to know how' differs completely: kamao, kabalo, maaram, tataong. None of them is the Tagalog 'marunong'.
Pakiulit nga popending reviewPalihog liwataPlease say it again
Pakidahan-dahan popending reviewPalihog hinay-hinayPlease speak slowly
Ano ito?pending reviewAno ini?What is this?
Naiintindihan kopending reviewNakaintiendi akoI understand
Ano ang tawag dito?pending reviewAno ang tawag sini?What is this called?
Paano mo ito sabihin?pending reviewPaano ini hambalon?How do you say this?

Numbers

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

Numbers: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Isapending reviewIsaOneCebuano and Waray 'usa' is a false friend of the highest order: in Tagalog 'usa' is a deer.
Dalawapending reviewDuhaTwo
Tatlopending 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.
Animpending reviewAnumSix
Pitopending reviewPitoSeven
Walopending reviewWaloEight
Siyampending reviewSiyamNine
Sampupending reviewNapuloTenPangasinan 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.
Labing-isapending reviewNapulo kag 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).
Labindalawapending reviewNapulo kag duhaTwelve
Dalawampupending reviewKaluhaanTwentyCebuano 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.
Tatlumpupending reviewKatloanThirty
Limampupending reviewKalim-anFifty
Isang daanpending reviewIsa ka gatosOne hundredKapampangan 'dinalan' and Pangasinan 'sanlasus' share nothing with the gatos/daan the rest use — another reminder that the Luzon languages are not a group.
Isang libopending reviewIsa ka liboOne thousand

Question words

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

Question words: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Anopending reviewAnoWhat
Sinopending reviewSin-oWhoHiligaynon '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.
Saanpending reviewDiinWhereSeven distinct words. Cebuano 'asa' is a false friend in Tagalog, where it means to hope or depend on someone.
Kailanpending reviewSan-oWhen
Bakitpending reviewNgaaWhyKapampangan 'baket' looks like Tagalog 'bakit' and means the same thing — but it is also the Ilocano word for an old woman or a wife, so the same string means two unrelated things depending on which language you are reading.
Magkano?pending reviewTagpila?How much?
Ilan?pending reviewPila?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: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Ngayonpending reviewSubongToday
Bukaspending reviewBuasTomorrowIlocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'.
Kahaponpending reviewKahaponYesterday
Arawpending reviewAdlawDayIn 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.
Gabipending reviewGab-iNight
Linggopending reviewSemanaWeek
Taonpending reviewTuigYear
Lunespending reviewLunesMondayAll eight took the Spanish weekday names wholesale. Only Sunday diverges — see below.
Martespending reviewMartesTuesday
Miyerkulespending reviewMiyerkolesWednesday
Huwebespending reviewHuwebesThursday
Biyernespending reviewBiyernesFriday
Sabadopending reviewSabadoSaturday
Linggopending reviewDomingoSundayTagalog 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'.
Tanghalipending reviewUdtoNoon
Umagapending reviewAgaMorning
Mamayapending reviewKaronLaterThe 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
Lagipending reviewPirmeAlways

Family & people

Relationships and forms of address.

Family & people: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Inapending reviewIloyMotherKapampangan 'ima' is a mother; Ilocano 'ima' is a hand. Two Luzon languages a hundred kilometres apart, same three letters, nothing in common.
Amapending reviewAmayFather
Nanaypending reviewNanayMum
Tataypending reviewTatayDad
Anakpending reviewBataChild'Anak' is the offspring relationship in all eight; Bikol 'aki' is the exception and is a child in general.
Kapatidpending reviewUtodSiblingSix 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.
Kaibiganpending reviewAbyanFriendEight languages, eight unrelated words. Kapampangan 'kaluguran' doubles as a term of affection, which is why 'Kaluguran daka' means 'I love you'.
Lalakipending reviewLalakiMan
Babaepending reviewBabayeWoman
Asawapending 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.
Pangalanpending reviewNgalanName
Kapitbahaypending reviewKaingodNeighbour
Sanggolpending reviewLapsagBaby
Tiyopending reviewTiyoUncle
Tiyapending reviewTiyaAunt

Food & eating

Meals, ingredients and asking for them.

Food & eating: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Bigaspending reviewBugasRice (uncooked)All eight distinguish uncooked grain from cooked rice with separate words — a distinction English has to spell out.
Kaninpending reviewKan-onRice (cooked)Kapampangan 'nasi' is a Malay-shaped word that none of its neighbours share.
Isdapending 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
Baboypending reviewBaboyPig
Itlogpending 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 reviewUtanVegetable
Kumainpending reviewMagkaonTo 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
Masarappending reviewNamitDeliciousEight languages, eight unrelated words for the same compliment. If you learn one word from this list, learn the local one for this.
Busog na akopending reviewBusog na akoI'm full
Tinapaypending reviewTinapayBread
Asukalpending reviewAsukarSugar
Sagingpending reviewSagingBanana
Niyogpending reviewLubiCoconut
Manggapending reviewManggaMango
Maispending reviewMaisCorn
Bawangpending reviewAhosGarlicThe Visayan languages took the Spanish 'ajos'; the Luzon languages kept the native 'bawang'.
Sabawpending reviewSabawSoup, broth
Matamispending reviewMatam-isSweet
Maasimpending reviewMaaslomSour
Maanghangpending reviewMaharangSpicy
Maalatpending reviewMaasinSalty
Maglutopending reviewMaglutoTo cook
Platopending reviewPingganPlate
Kutsarapending reviewKutsaraSpoon

Drinks

Water, coffee and what to order.

Drinks: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
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
Uminompending reviewMag-inomTo drink
Pakiabot ng tubigpending reviewPalihog sang tubigWater, please
Tsaapending reviewTsaTea
Serbesapending reviewBeerBeer
Mainit na tubigpending reviewMainit nga tubigHot water
Malamig na tubigpending reviewMabugnaw nga tubigCold water

Market & money

Prices, haggling, paying.

Market & money: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Perapending reviewKwartaMoneyTagalog 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.
Murapending reviewBaratoCheapFour of the eight reach for the Spanish 'barato' rather than a native word, while Tagalog and Ilocano kept their own.
Bumilipending reviewMagbakalTo buyCebuano 'palit' is to buy; in Tagalog 'palit' is to exchange or swap. Same root, opposite ends of a transaction.
Palengkepending reviewTiendahanMarket
Magkano ito?pending reviewTagpila ini?How much is this?
Masyadong mahalpending reviewMahal gidThat's too expensive
Pwedeng tawad?pending reviewPwede hangyo?Can you lower the price?
Magbentapending reviewMagbaligyaTo sell

Directions

Left, right, here, there and how far.

Directions: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Kaliwapending reviewWalaLeftThe 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.
Kananpending reviewTuoRight
Ditopending reviewDiriHereHiligaynon 'diri' is 'here'. Waray 'diri' is 'not'. The two languages are neighbours and this pair catches people constantly.
Doonpending reviewDidtoThere
Malayopending reviewMalayoFar
Malapitpending reviewMalapitNear
Nasaan ang banyo?pending reviewDiin ang kasilyas?Where is the toilet?
Pumuntapending reviewMagkadtoTo go
Diretsopending reviewDiretsoStraight ahead
Taaspending reviewIbabawUp
Babapending reviewIdalomDown
Loobpending reviewSulodInside
Labaspending reviewGuwaOutside

Health & emergency

The phrases worth knowing before you need them.

Health & emergency: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Tulong!pending reviewBulig!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 sakit akopending reviewMasakit akoI am sick
Masakitpending reviewMasakitIt hurtsWaray 'maul-ul' and Bikol 'makulog' share nothing with the 'sakit' the other six use.
Pulispending reviewPulisPolice
Sunog!pending reviewSunog!Fire!Bikol shouts 'Kalayo!', which in Tagalog would be parsed as 'distance'. In an emergency that is the worst possible ambiguity.
Magnanakaw!pending reviewKawatan!Thief!
Mag-ingat kapending reviewMaghalongBe careful
Naligaw akopending reviewNadula akoI am lost
Lagnatpending reviewHilanatFever
Sakit ng ulopending reviewSakit sang uloHeadache

The body

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

The body: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Ulopending reviewUloHeadBikol 'payo' is a head. In Tagalog 'payo' is advice — which makes it one of the neatest false friends in the country.
Matapending reviewMataEye
Kamaypending reviewKamotHandThree 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.
Paapending reviewTiilFoot
Bibigpending reviewBabaMouthVisayan 'baba' is a mouth; Tagalog 'baba' is a chin, and with different stress it is also 'down'. Neighbouring body parts, different words.
Tiyanpending reviewTiyanStomach
Buhokpending reviewBuhokHair
Taingapending reviewDulungganEar
Ilongpending reviewIlongNose
Ngipinpending reviewNgiponTooth
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 reviewTagipusuonHeart

Nature & weather

Sun, rain, sea and mountain.

Nature & weather: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Arawpending reviewAdlawSunIlocano 'init' is the sun; Tagalog 'init' is heat. Related idea, different part of speech, and machine translation routinely mixes the two.
Buwanpending reviewBulanMoonSeven of the eight kept 'bulan'; Tagalog alone shifted the l to w. The same word means 'month' in all of them.
Bituinpending reviewBituonStar
Ulanpending reviewUlanRainIlocano is alone here. 'Tudo' shares nothing with the ulan/uran the other seven use.
Dagatpending reviewDagatSea
Bundokpending reviewBukidMountainTwo 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.
Bahaypending reviewBalayHouse
Apoypending reviewKalayoFireVisayan 'kalayo' is fire; Tagalog 'kalayo' would be parsed as 'distance'. The Luzon languages all keep apoy/apuy.
Ilogpending reviewSubaRiverWaray and Bikol 'salog' looks close to Tagalog 'ilog' but is a separate root — and in Cebuano 'salog' is a floor.
Lupapending reviewDutaLand, soilSix unrelated roots for the ground under your feet, and Ilocano 'daga' collides head-on with Tagalog, where it means a rat.
Punopending reviewKahoyTree
Bulaklakpending reviewBulakFlowerIlocano 'sabong' is a flower. In Tagalog 'sabong' is cockfighting — an unusually large gap for two languages spoken on the same island.
Batopending reviewBatoStone
Hanginpending reviewHanginWind
Langitpending reviewLangitSkyPangasinan 'tawen' is the sky; Ilocano 'tawen' is a year. Two Northern Luzon languages, one word, no shared meaning.
Lindolpending reviewLinogEarthquake
Bagyopending reviewBagyoTyphoon

Describing things

Big, small, good, beautiful.

Describing things: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Malakipending reviewDakuBig
Maliitpending reviewGamaySmall
Mabutipending reviewMaayoGood
Masamapending reviewMalainBad
Magandapending reviewMatahumBeautifulBikol 'magayon' is the root behind Mayon, the volcano. Waray 'mahusay' means beautiful; in Tagalog the same word means skilled or well-arranged.
Mainitpending reviewMainitHot
Malamigpending reviewMabugnawCold
Mabilispending reviewMadasigFast
Bagopending reviewBag-oNew
Lumapending reviewDaanOld (of a thing)Ilocano and the Visayan languages use 'daan' for old — the same string Tagalog uses for a road.
Matandapending reviewTigulangOld (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.
Maramipending reviewMadamoMany
Kauntipending reviewDiutayFew
Mahabapending reviewMalabaLong
Maiklipending reviewMalip-otShort
Mabigatpending reviewMabug-atHeavy
Malinispending reviewMatinloClean
Marumipending reviewMahigkoDirty

Feelings

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

Feelings: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Mahal kitapending reviewPalangga ta kaI love youEight languages and eight completely different verbs. This row alone answers the question of whether Philippine languages are 'dialects of each other'.
Masayapending reviewMalipayonHappy
Malungkotpending reviewMasuboSad
Pagodpending reviewKapoyTired
Galitpending reviewAkigAngry
Namimiss kitapending reviewGinahidlaw ako sa imoI miss you
Takotpending reviewHadlokAfraid
Nagulatpending reviewNakibotSurprised
Inippending reviewNatak-anBored

Colours

Basic colour terms.

Colours: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Pulapending reviewPulaRed
Putipending reviewPutiWhite
Itimpending reviewItomBlackKapampangan 'matuling' is black. Tagalog 'matulin' — one letter apart — means fast.
Asulpending reviewAsulBlue
Dilawpending reviewDalagYellow
Berdepending reviewBerdeGreenOnly Kapampangan kept a native word. The other seven took the Spanish 'verde' and never replaced it.
Kahelpending reviewKahelOrange
Abuhinpending reviewAbuhonGreyEvery 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: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Matulogpending reviewMagtulogTo sleep
Makitapending reviewMakitaTo see
Sabihinpending reviewIsilingTo sayIlocano and Pangasinan share 'ibaga' — but in Tagalog 'baga' is an ember, and in Ilocano it is the colour red.
Alampending reviewKabaloTo know
Gustopending reviewGustoTo wantKapampangan 'buri' is to want or like. In Tagalog 'buri' is a species of palm.
Magbigaypending reviewMaghatagTo give
Magtrabahopending reviewMagtrabahoTo work
Maglakadpending reviewMaglakatTo walk
Magsalitapending reviewMaghambalTo 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.
Makinigpending reviewMamatiTo listen
Sumulatpending reviewMagsulatTo write
Magbasapending reviewMagbasaTo read
Umupopending reviewMaglingkodTo sit
Tumayopending reviewMagtindogTo stand
Tumakbopending reviewMagdalaganTo run
Maghintaypending reviewMaghulatTo wait
Buksanpending reviewBuksanTo open
Isarapending reviewSirhanTo close
Maghugaspending reviewMaghugasTo wash
Pumunta ritopending reviewMagkariTo come here

Months

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

Months: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
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: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Daanpending reviewDalanRoadSeven of the eight use 'dalan'. Tagalog's 'daan' is the same root worn down, and Bikol went its own way with 'tinampo'.
Bangkapending reviewBarotoBoat
Kotsepending reviewSalakyanCar
Sumakaypending reviewMagsakayTo ride
Para popending reviewPara langStop here, please'Para' comes from Spanish 'parar', to stop, and is the universal way to get off a jeepney anywhere in the country.
Saan ka pupunta?pending reviewDiin ka makadto?Where are you going?
Tiketpending reviewTiketTicket

Somewhere to stay

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

Somewhere to stay: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Susipending reviewYabiKeyAnother row where nothing carries over. Ilocano 'tulbek' and Tagalog 'susi' share no history at all.
Pintopending reviewPuertahanDoor
Bintanapending reviewBintanaWindowIlocano 'tawa' is a window. In Tagalog it is laughter.
Kuwartopending reviewKuwartoRoom
Kamapending reviewKatreBed
Banyopending reviewKasilyasToilet

Things to buy

Everyday items you might need to ask for.

Things to buy: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Damitpending reviewPanaptonClothes
Sapatospending reviewSapatosShoes
Gamotpending reviewBulongMedicineWorth 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: Tagalog phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
TagalogHiligaynonEnglish
Asopending reviewIdoDogFour 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.
Pusapending reviewKuringCat
Kalabawpending reviewKarabawCarabaoThe national animal, and three of the eight have their own word for it — Ilocano nuang, Kapampangan damulag, Pangasinan dueg.
Kambingpending reviewKandingGoat
Bakapending reviewBakaCow
Kabayopending reviewKabayoHorse
Ahaspending reviewMan-ugSnakeFive unrelated words, and the one worth memorising before you need it. Ilocano and Pangasinan share 'uleg', which is unusual — the two rarely agree.
Ibonpending reviewPispisBirdCebuano 'langgam' is a bird; Tagalog 'langgam' is an ant. One of the most-cited false friends between the two largest languages in the country.
Dagapending reviewIlagaRatTwo traps in one row. Ilocano 'utot' is a rat and Tagalog 'utot' is a fart; Tagalog 'daga' is a rat and Ilocano 'daga' is land or soil.
Lamokpending reviewNamokMosquito

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

    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.

  • pilahigh risk
    In Tagalog
    A queue, a line of people waiting.
    In Hiligaynon
    How many.

    Common enough in both languages that it turns up in ordinary sentences rather than as a curiosity.

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

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

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

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

  • asohigh risk
    In Tagalog
    A dog.
    In Hiligaynon
    Smoke.

    Two of the most ordinary nouns in either language. The Cebuano word for a dog is iro.

  • langgamhigh risk
    In Tagalog
    An ant.
    In Hiligaynon
    A bird.

    Nothing in the sentence signals which one is meant, and both are plausible in most contexts.

  • liboghigh risk
    In Tagalog
    Lust, arousal.
    In Hiligaynon
    Confusion; being at a loss.

    The Visayan sense is entirely ordinary and the Tagalog sense is not, which makes this the most awkward collision on the list.

  • gamot
    In Tagalog
    Medicine, a remedy.
    In Hiligaynon
    A root.

    Related once — roots were medicine — but the two languages settled on opposite ends of that history.

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

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

  • daan
    In Tagalog
    A road; also 'hundred'.
    In Hiligaynon
    Old, of a thing.

    Tagalog daan is a road; almost everywhere else it means old. Directions and descriptions get swapped.

  • dalag
    In Tagalog
    A mudfish.
    In Hiligaynon
    Yellow.

    A colour in the Visayan languages and a freshwater fish in Tagalog.

How often the machine gets these right

We ran 287 Tagalog entries from the phrasebook below through the same engine this site uses, and compared each result against the human-written Hiligaynon. Categories are our own; the comparison ignores punctuation and casing. Neither Tagalog nor Hiligaynon 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 Hiligaynon for 49.8% of 287 phrases. The rest were partly or entirely wrong.

Least reliable

  • Greetings0%
  • Market & money11%
  • Everyday verbs20%
  • Introductions25%
  • Understanding25%

Most reliable

  • Months75%
  • Colours75%
  • Health & emergency75%

Sources

Last updated 2026-08-06. 287 entries are marked “pending review” — carried on general reference and awaiting confirmation from a native speaker.