Ilocano Food and Eating Words with Tagalog Translations
33 food & eating in Ilocano, each with its Tagalog equivalent and an English gloss. Entries come from our curated phrasebook and are checked against published references, not produced by the translation engine.
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. |
| Danom | Tubig | WaterNo shared root — a basic word where the two languages are entirely unalike. |
| Tinapay | Tinapay | BreadIdentical. |
| Itlog | Itlog | EggIdentical. |
| Keso | Keso | Cheese |
| Kape | Kape | Coffee |
| Gatas | Gatas | MilkIdentical. |
| 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 |
More Ilocano word lists
- Ilocano Greetings12
- Ilocano Polite Words and Phrases9
- Ilocano Phrases for When You Do Not Understand6
- Ilocano Numbers17
- Ilocano Days, Months and Time Words22
- Ilocano Market and Money Words10
- Ilocano Directions and Travel Words14
- Ilocano Emergency and Health Phrases10
- Ilocano Family and People Words9
- Ilocano Colours7
Sources
- Ilocano phrasebook — Wikivoyage. Accessed 2026-07-26.
- 52 Useful Ilocano Words & Phrases to Learn for Travelers — Chill and Travel. Accessed 2026-07-26.