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Tagalog to Kapampangan Phrasebook

201 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, and this surprises people, because Pampanga borders the Tagalog provinces. Kapampangan belongs to the Central Luzon branch, not Central Philippine, and it is the deepest split on this site: nanu for what, ninu for who, lagyu for name, wa for yes, ali for no. Almost nothing in a Kapampangan sentence is guessable from Tagalog. The proximity on a map is not proximity in the family tree.

Phrases
201
Categories
24
Cited sources
2
Pending review
201

Showing all 201 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 Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Magandang umagapending reviewMayap a abakGood 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 reviewMayap a gatpanapunGood afternoon
Magandang gabipending reviewMayap a bengiGood evening
Magandang arawpending reviewMayap a aldoGood day
Kumusta ka?pending reviewKomusta 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 reviewMayap ku namanI'm fine

Courtesy

Thank you, sorry, yes and no.

Courtesy: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
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 reviewDakal a 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'.
Oopending reviewWaYesFour 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 reviewAliNoIlocano 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 reviewPasensya naSorryIn 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.

Introductions: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Ano ang pangalan mo?pending reviewNanu 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.
Ang pangalan ko ay…pending reviewIng lagyu ku…My name is…
Taga-saan ka?pending reviewTaga-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.

Understanding: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Hindi ko naiintindihanpending reviewE ku aintindianI don't understand
Ano ito?pending reviewNanu ini?What is this?
Naiintindihan kopending reviewAintindian kuI understand

Numbers

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

Numbers: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Isapending reviewMetungOneCebuano and Waray 'usa' is a false friend of the highest order: in Tagalog 'usa' is a deer.
Dalawapending reviewAdwaTwo
Tatlopending reviewAtluThree
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 reviewAnamSix
Pitopending reviewPituSeven
Walopending reviewWaluEight
Siyampending reviewSiyamNine
Sampupending reviewApuluTenPangasinan 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 reviewLabing metungElevenThree 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 reviewLabingadwaTwelve
Dalawampupending reviewAdwangpuluTwentyCebuano 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 reviewAtlungpuluThirty
Limampupending reviewLimangpuluFifty
Isang daanpending reviewDinalanOne 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 reviewLibuOne thousand

Question words

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

Question words: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Anopending reviewNanuWhat
Sinopending reviewNinuWhoHiligaynon '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 reviewNokarinWhereSeven distinct words. Cebuano 'asa' is a false friend in Tagalog, where it means to hope or depend on someone.
Kailanpending reviewKapilanWhen
Bakitpending reviewBaketWhyKapampangan '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 reviewMagkanu?How much?
Ilan?pending reviewPilan?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 Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Ngayonpending reviewNgeniToday
Bukaspending reviewBukasTomorrowIlocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'.
Kahaponpending reviewNapunYesterday
Arawpending reviewAldoDayIn 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 reviewBengiNight
Linggopending reviewDominggoWeek
Taonpending reviewBanwaYear
Lunespending reviewLunesMondayAll eight took the Spanish weekday names wholesale. Only Sunday diverges — see below.
Martespending reviewMartesTuesday
Miyerkulespending reviewMiyerkulesWednesday
Huwebespending reviewHuwebesThursday
Biyernespending reviewBiyernesFriday
Sabadopending reviewSabadoSaturday
Linggopending reviewDominggoSundayTagalog 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'.
Umagapending reviewAbakMorning
Oraspending reviewOrasHour

Family & people

Relationships and forms of address.

Family & people: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Inapending reviewImaMotherKapampangan 'ima' is a mother; Ilocano 'ima' is a hand. Two Luzon languages a hundred kilometres apart, same three letters, nothing in common.
Amapending reviewIbpaFather
Nanaypending reviewImaMum
Tataypending reviewTatangDad
Anakpending reviewAnakChild'Anak' is the offspring relationship in all eight; Bikol 'aki' is the exception and is a child in general.
Kapatidpending reviewKapatadSiblingSix unrelated roots. Only Tagalog 'kapatid' and Kapampangan 'kapatad' match, and that is a loan rather than shared inheritance.
Lolapending reviewApuGrandmother
Lolopending reviewApuGrandfatherPangasinan 'laki' is a grandfather. In Tagalog, Cebuano and most of the rest, 'lalaki' is simply a man — close enough to mislead.
Kaibiganpending reviewKaluguranFriendEight languages, eight unrelated words. Kapampangan 'kaluguran' doubles as a term of affection, which is why 'Kaluguran daka' means 'I love you'.
Lalakipending reviewLalakiMan
Babaepending reviewBabaiWoman
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 reviewLagyuName

Food & eating

Meals, ingredients and asking for them.

Food & eating: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Bigaspending reviewAbiasRice (uncooked)All eight distinguish uncooked grain from cooked rice with separate words — a distinction English has to spell out.
Kaninpending reviewNasiRice (cooked)Kapampangan 'nasi' is a Malay-shaped word that none of its neighbours share.
Isdapending reviewAsanFishBikol 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 reviewManukChicken
Baboypending reviewBabiPig
Itlogpending reviewEbunEggOne 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 reviewGuleVegetable
Kumainpending reviewManganTo 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 reviewDanupan ku naI'm hungry
Masarappending reviewManyamanDeliciousEight languages, eight unrelated words for the same compliment. If you learn one word from this list, learn the local one for this.
Tinapaypending reviewTinapeBread
Asukalpending reviewAsukalSugar
Sagingpending reviewSagingBanana
Niyogpending reviewUngutCoconut
Manggapending reviewManggaMango
Maispending reviewMaisCorn
Bawangpending reviewBawangGarlicThe Visayan languages took the Spanish 'ajos'; the Luzon languages kept the native 'bawang'.
Matamispending reviewMayumuSweet
Maasimpending reviewMaaslamSour
Maglutopending reviewMaglutuTo cook
Kutsarapending reviewKutsaraSpoon

Drinks

Water, coffee and what to order.

Drinks: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Tubigpending reviewDanumWaterThe 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 reviewMinumTo drink

Market & money

Prices, haggling, paying.

Market & money: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Perapending reviewSalapiMoneyTagalog took 'pera' from Spanish 'perra'; everything north and south of it took 'cuarta' instead. The two are not interchangeable outside Manila.
Mahalpending reviewMaalExpensiveIn 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.
Bumilipending reviewSalihanTo buyCebuano 'palit' is to buy; in Tagalog 'palit' is to exchange or swap. Same root, opposite ends of a transaction.
Palengkepending reviewPamalengkeMarket
Magkano ito?pending reviewMagkanu ini?How much is this?

Directions

Left, right, here, there and how far.

Directions: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Kaliwapending reviewKailiLeftThe 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 reviewWananRight
Ditopending reviewKeniHereHiligaynon 'diri' is 'here'. Waray 'diri' is 'not'. The two languages are neighbours and this pair catches people constantly.
Doonpending reviewKarinThere
Malayopending reviewMarayuFar
Malapitpending reviewMalapitNear
Pumuntapending reviewUmeTo go
Diretsopending reviewDiretsuStraight ahead
Taaspending reviewBaboUp
Loobpending reviewLubInside

Health & emergency

The phrases worth knowing before you need them.

Health & emergency: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Tulong!pending reviewSaup!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 kuI am sick
Pulispending reviewPulisPolice

The body

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

The body: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Ulopending reviewBuntukHeadBikol 'payo' is a head. In Tagalog 'payo' is advice — which makes it one of the neatest false friends in the country.
Matapending reviewMataEye
Kamaypending reviewGamatHandThree 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 reviewBitisFoot
Bibigpending reviewAsbukMouthVisayan 'baba' is a mouth; Tagalog 'baba' is a chin, and with different stress it is also 'down'. Neighbouring body parts, different words.
Tiyanpending reviewAtyanStomach
Buhokpending reviewBuakHair
Taingapending reviewBalugbugEar
Ilongpending reviewArungNose
Ngipinpending reviewIpanTooth
Dugopending reviewDayaBloodIlocano and Kapampangan both say 'daya' for blood — and in Tagalog and Cebuano the same word means cheating. Worth care in any medical setting.
Pusopending reviewPusuHeart

Nature & weather

Sun, rain, sea and mountain.

Nature & weather: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Arawpending reviewAldoSunIlocano '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 reviewBatwinStar
Ulanpending reviewUranRainIlocano is alone here. 'Tudo' shares nothing with the ulan/uran the other seven use.
Dagatpending reviewDayatmalatSea
Bundokpending reviewBundukMountainTwo 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 reviewBaleHouse
Apoypending reviewApiFireVisayan 'kalayo' is fire; Tagalog 'kalayo' would be parsed as 'distance'. The Luzon languages all keep apoy/apuy.
Ilogpending reviewIlugRiverWaray and Bikol 'salog' looks close to Tagalog 'ilog' but is a separate root — and in Cebuano 'salog' is a floor.
Lupapending reviewGabunLand, soilSix unrelated roots for the ground under your feet, and Ilocano 'daga' collides head-on with Tagalog, where it means a rat.
Punopending reviewDutungTree
Bulaklakpending reviewSampagaFlowerIlocano 'sabong' is a flower. In Tagalog 'sabong' is cockfighting — an unusually large gap for two languages spoken on the same island.
Batopending reviewBatuStone
Hanginpending reviewAnginWind
Bagyopending reviewBagyuTyphoon

Describing things

Big, small, good, beautiful.

Describing things: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Malakipending reviewMaragulBig
Maliitpending reviewMalatiSmall
Mabutipending reviewMayapGood
Masamapending reviewMarokBad
Magandapending reviewMalaguBeautifulBikol 'magayon' is the root behind Mayon, the volcano. Waray 'mahusay' means beautiful; in Tagalog the same word means skilled or well-arranged.
Mainitpending reviewMapaliHot
Malamigpending reviewMalamigCold
Bagopending reviewBayuNew
Lumapending reviewLumaOld (of a thing)Ilocano and the Visayan languages use 'daan' for old — the same string Tagalog uses for a road.
Matandapending reviewMatuaOld (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 reviewDakalMany

Feelings

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

Feelings: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Mahal kitapending reviewKaluguran dakaI love youEight languages and eight completely different verbs. This row alone answers the question of whether Philippine languages are 'dialects of each other'.
Masayapending reviewMasayaHappy

Colours

Basic colour terms.

Colours: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Pulapending reviewMalutuRed
Putipending reviewMaputiWhite
Itimpending reviewMatulingBlackKapampangan 'matuling' is black. Tagalog 'matulin' — one letter apart — means fast.
Asulpending reviewAsulBlue
Dilawpending reviewDiloYellow
Berdepending reviewAluntianGreenOnly Kapampangan kept a native word. The other seven took the Spanish 'verde' and never replaced it.

Everyday verbs

The actions that carry most sentences.

Everyday verbs: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Matulogpending reviewMatudtudTo sleep
Makitapending reviewAkitTo see
Alampending reviewBaluTo know
Gustopending reviewBuriTo wantKapampangan 'buri' is to want or like. In Tagalog 'buri' is a species of palm.
Magbigaypending reviewMibieTo give
Magtrabahopending reviewMagobraTo work
Magsalitapending 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.
Sumulatpending reviewSumulatTo write
Magbasapending reviewMagbasaTo read
Umupopending reviewLuklukTo sit
Pumunta ritopending reviewUme keniTo come here

Months

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

Months: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
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 reviewPebreruFebruary
Marsopending reviewMarsuMarch
Abrilpending reviewAbrilApril
Mayopending reviewMayuMay
Agostopending reviewAgostuAugust

Getting around

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

Getting around: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
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 reviewBangkaBoat
Kotsepending reviewKotsiCar
Saan ka pupunta?pending reviewNokarin ka munta?Where are you going?

Somewhere to stay

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

Somewhere to stay: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Pintopending reviewPasbulDoor
Bintanapending reviewAwangWindowIlocano 'tawa' is a window. In Tagalog it is laughter.
Kuwartopending reviewKuartuRoom

Things to buy

Everyday items you might need to ask for.

Things to buy: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Damitpending reviewImalanClothes
Sapatospending reviewSapatusShoes
Gamotpending reviewAmbunMedicineWorth 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 reviewSabunSoap
Libropending reviewLibruBook
Papelpending reviewPapilPaper

Animals

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

Animals: Tagalog phrases with Kapampangan and English translations
TagalogKapampanganEnglish
Asopending reviewAsuDogFour 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 reviewPusaCat
Kalabawpending reviewDamulagCarabaoThe national animal, and three of the eight have their own word for it — Ilocano nuang, Kapampangan damulag, Pangasinan dueg.
Kambingpending reviewKambingGoat
Bakapending reviewBakaCow
Kabayopending reviewKabayuHorse
Ibonpending reviewAyupBirdCebuano '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 reviewAmukMosquito

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.

  • apohigh risk
    In Tagalog
    A grandchild.
    In Kapampangan
    A grandparent — the opposite generation to the Tagalog sense.

    A generation apart in either direction — the Ilocano term addresses an elder, the Tagalog one names a grandchild.

  • dayahigh risk
    In Tagalog
    Deceit, cheating.
    In Kapampangan
    Blood.

    Medical or ritual context makes this one genuinely hazardous to get wrong.

  • ari
    In Tagalog
    Property; also a coarse term for genitalia.
    In Kapampangan
    A king.

    The Tagalog sense makes the Kapampangan word awkward to read aloud in mixed company, which is precisely why it is worth flagging.

  • asan
    In Tagalog
    Where — the colloquial contraction of nasaan.
    In Kapampangan
    A fish.

    Colloquial Tagalog drops the na- from nasaan, producing exactly the Kapampangan word for fish.

  • buri
    In Tagalog
    A palm used for weaving mats and hats.
    In Kapampangan
    To want, to like.

    Low-risk but frequent: buri is one of the commonest verbs in Kapampangan and a plant in Tagalog.

  • bale
    In Tagalog
    Worth or value; colloquially 'so', 'meaning'.
    In Kapampangan
    A house.

    Kapampangan bale is a house; Tagalog bale is worth, or the discourse filler meaning 'so'.

How often the machine gets these right

We ran 201 Tagalog 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 Tagalog 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 62.2% of 201 phrases. The rest were partly or entirely wrong.

Least reliable

  • Market & money0%
  • Everyday verbs27%
  • Directions40%
  • Describing things46%
  • Greetings50%

Most reliable

  • Getting around100%
  • Drinks100%
  • The body92%

Sources

Last updated 2026-08-06. 201 entries are marked “pending review” — carried on general reference and awaiting confirmation from a native speaker.