Ilocano Food and Eating Words with Tagalog Translations
37 food & eating in Ilocano, each with its Tagalog equivalent and an English gloss. Entries come from our phrasebook, compiled from published references rather than produced by the translation engine. Each has been checked against more than one source.
Food & eating
The largest category, because meals are where the language lives.
| Ilocano | Tagalog | English |
|---|---|---|
| Mangan tayon! | Kain na tayo! | Let's eat!Both use the inclusive 'we' — Ilocano 'tayo', Tagalog 'tayo' — meaning the listener is included in the invitation. Using the exclusive form would mean 'we're eating, you're not'. |
| Mabisinakon | Gutom na ako | I'm hungry |
| Nabusugakon | Busog na ako | I'm fullIlocano 'nabsog' and Tagalog 'busog' are cognates. |
| Naimas!nah-EE-mahs | Masarap! | Delicious!No shared root at all — one of the highest-frequency words where the two languages have nothing in common. |
| Nangan kan? | Kumain ka na? | Have you eaten?In both cultures this functions as a greeting as much as a question. |
| Haan pay | Hindi pa | Not yet |
| Mangan ka pay! | Kumain ka pa! | Eat more!Both use 'pa/pay' as the 'still, more' particle. |
| Innapoy | Kanin | Cooked riceCompletely different roots, and both distinguish cooked rice from the uncooked grain. |
| Ikan | Isda | FishIlocano 'ikan' matches Malay and Indonesian 'ikan'. Tagalog 'isda' does not. |
| Karne ti manok | Manok | Chickenliterally: Meat of chicken |
| Karne ti baboy | Baboy | Pork |
| Karne ti baka | Baka | BeefWatch the Tagalog: 'baka' is beef, but 'baka' with different stress also means 'maybe'. |
| Nateng | Gulay | Vegetables |
| Prutas | Prutas | FruitSpanish 'frutas' in both. |
| Tinapay | Tinapay | BreadIdentical. |
| Itlog | Itlog | EggIdentical. |
| Keso | Keso | Cheese |
| Pancit | Pancit | Noodles |
| Nagapgad | Maalat | It's salty |
| Nagsam-it | Matamis | It's sweet |
| Naggasang | Maanghang | It's spicy |
| Nagalsem | Maasim | It's sourIlocano marks these with nag-, Tagalog with ma-. The pattern holds across the whole set. |
| Pamigat | Almusal | BreakfastIlocano builds it from 'bigat' (morning); Tagalog borrowed Spanish 'almuerzo'. |
| Pangaldaw | Tanghalian | Lunch |
| Pangrabii | Hapunan | Dinner |
| Mirienda | Meryenda | Snack |
| Maysa man a baso ti danom | Isang baso ng tubig nga po | A glass of water, please |
| Mabalin a makitak ti menu? | Puwede ko bang makita ang menu? | Can I see the menu? |
| Vegetarianak | Vegetarian ako | I'm vegetarian |
| Nalpasakon | Tapos na ako | I'm finished |
| Makan | Pagkain | Food |
| Longganisa | Longganisa | Sausage |
| Maysa man a mesa para dua a tao | Mesa para sa dalawang tao nga po | A table for two, please |
| Ania ti specialty yo? | Ano ang specialty ninyo? | What is your speciality? |
| Diak mangan ti karne ti baboy | Hindi ako kumakain ng baboy | I don't eat pork |
| Ayana kayat mo panganan? | Saan mo gustong kumain? | Where do you want to eat? |
| Nanganakon | Kumain na ako | I've already eaten |
More Ilocano word lists
- Ilocano Greetings12
- Ilocano Polite Words and Phrases9
- Ilocano Phrases for When You Do Not Understand9
- Ilocano Numbers37
- Ilocano Days, Months and Time Words29
- Ilocano Market and Money Words13
- Ilocano Directions and Travel Words24
- Ilocano Emergency and Health Phrases15
- Ilocano Family and People Words15
- Ilocano Colours9
- Ilocano Months of the Year12
- Ilocano Words for Getting Around17
- Ilocano Words for Somewhere to Stay15
- Ilocano Words for Things to Buy21
- Ilocano Words for Drinks8
- Ilocano Words for Officials and Trouble8
- Ilocano Words for Parts of the Body22
- Ilocano Words for Animals10
- Ilocano Words for Nature and Weather26
- Ilocano Everyday Verbs35
- Ilocano Adjectives and Describing Words26
- Ilocano Question Words10
Sources
- Ilocano phrasebook — Wikivoyage. Accessed 2026-07-26.
- 52 Useful Ilocano Words & Phrases to Learn for Travelers — Chill and Travel. Accessed 2026-07-26.