Philippine English vocabulary

As a historical colony of the United States, the Philippine English lexicon shares most of its vocabulary from American English, but also has loanwords from native languages and Spanish, as well as some usages, coinages, and slang peculiar to the Philippines. Some Philippine English usages are borrowed from or shared with British or Commonwealth English, for various reasons. Due to the influence of the Spanish language, Philippine English also contains Spanish-derived terms, including Anglicizations, some resulting in false friends, such as "salvage". Philippine English also borrowed words from Philippine languages, especially native plant and animal names (e.g. ampalaya, balimbing), and cultural concepts with no exact English equivalents (e.g. kilig); some borrowings from Philippine languages have entered mainstream English, such as abaca and ylang-ylang.

Some terms are only used in some regions. Examples are bringhouse (bringing food home from fiestas), which is only used in the Visayas, and haggard (police on motorcycles), which is used only in Visayas and Mindanao.

Words with additional meanings in Philippine English

Word/phrase	Philippine English meaning	Standard English meaning	Notes
advanced	of a clock ahead of standard time	state-of-the-art
area of responsibility	shorthand for Philippine Area of Responsibility in weather forecasting	geographical area for military operations
artist	actor/actress		Anglicized from artista
birdie	penis	little bird; golf score of one under par	Childish slang, popularized by the Parokya ni Edgar song "Don't Touch My Birdie".
board member	Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial council) member	member of the board of directors of an association or company
bold	(adjective) implying or associated with pornography (as in bold film, and bold star); (noun) pornography	(adjective) courageous; brave
brownout	blackout; power outage	sudden drop in voltage	Also used in Commonwealth English varieties.
cabaret	strip club	live entertainment in a restaurant or nightclub	Also see nightclub below.
calling card	business card	name card
cart trolley	a lightweight wheeled vehicle, as for shopping, serving, carrying baggage, etc.
certain	(particle) emphasis marker suggesting ambiguity or anonymity	known, but not specifically named
close	switch off (a light)	enable the flow of electricity through the switch	Also used in several non-native English varieties
comedy	practical joke	humorous act
commute	to travel by public transportation	to travel between home and work
crocodile	corrupt politician	genus of reptile	Originally referred to Philippine Constabulary officers, after the brown color of their uniform.
dialect	regional languages of the Philippines other than Filipino	regional variety of a language	Compare French patois for the other languages of France and Italian dialetto for regional languages of Italy except protected minority languages. Also commonly referred to as mother tongues especially in education contexts.
drive-in	motel; motor inn	type of outdoor cinema; type of drive-thru restaurant where food is served by a carhop
duster	simple sun dress	cleaning tool
elimination round	group stage or regular season	single-elimination tournament or two-legged tie	Especially in basketball competitions. Preliminary round also used in football and volleyball.
entertain	to help or assist (in a corporate context e.g. "How can I entertain you?" for "How can I help you)	to amuse
fiscal	public prosecutor; solicitor; attorney general	public official responsible for control of public revenue in some countries	Borrowed from Spanish fiscal.
gimmick	unplanned night out with friends	trick; ploy
go up	get on a vehicle	get on (the bus/jeep)
hump	speed bump calming tool		Shared with British English
inhibition	(law) recusal	fear or embarrassment that prevents natural behavior; stoppage or retardation of a chemical reaction
junk shop	scrap dealer	store selling mostly used goods at cheap prices	Scrap dealer is also used as well.
life imprisonment	reclusion perpetua	life sentence
malicious	implying sexually perverted behaviour	having bad or evil intent	Anglicization of malisyoso, from Spanish malicioso
maniac	pervert	someone suffering from manic behavior	From "sex maniac".
marker	a point, unit of scoring in especially basketball and volleyball	someone or something that creates marks or used to mark a position or amount
medical certificate	a statement from a physician or other health care provider that attests to the result of a medical examination of a patient		Shared with Malaysian English.
middle name	maternal surname/last name or maiden name	second given name	From the adaptation of Filipino names using Spanish naming customs to the Western system of first name-middle name-last name.
motel	love hotel; no-tell motel; sex hotel	motorist's hotel	Also simply called or used in conjunction with "short-time".
nightclub	strip club	public or private establishment open at night to offer entertainment, food, drink, music, and dancing
open	switch on (a light)	interrupt the flow of electricity through the switch	Also in non-native English varieties
push through	continue; proceed	force legislation, measures, etc. to be passed; overcome pain, discomfort, etc. by force or willpower	Usually followed by with
receptionist	desk worker
rotunda	roundabout	circular building	From Spanish rotonda, via the Philippine languages.
rugby	contact cement; rubber cement	ball sport	Genericized trademark from the wood glue brand by Bostik.
sala	living room or courtroom	large hall or reception hall	Borrowed from Spanish via Philippine languages.
salvage	(noun) summary execution involving a person being killed by a gang in some locations and the cadaver thrown onto a large space such as a river, roadside or vacant land; (verb) to kill a person in a similar fashion	(noun) act of rescuing or retrieved	False friend from Spanish "salvaje" ("wild", via the form "salbahe" in Philippine languages), after the manner the victims are killed.
scandal	amateur pornography	controversy	Originally referred to celebrity sex tapes.
slang	(adjective) indicative of a foreign or strong English accent	(noun) extremely informal language
spandrel	soffit	A triangular space between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame	Termed by the local construction industry to describe usually metal or corrugated plastic types of roof soffit.
straightaway straight away	immediately		"right away" also used.
subdivision	gated community or named residential area	parcel of land subdivided into lots
tickler	small notebook that fits the pocket or pocket notebook	an object or a person that tickles
tissue	paper napkin or toilet paper	absorbent paper; usually refers to facial tissue
toga	graduation gown	ancient Roman garment; see also toga party
tomboy	lesbian or trans man	boyish girl	The term is often associated with lesbians with masculine traits, while lesbians with feminine traits are regarded as heterosexual.
tricycle	auto rickshaw using a motorcycle and sidecar rig	cycle with three wheels	In the Visayas, also used for pedicabs.
trip	vibe	journey
trolley	makeshift handcar	(UK) cart; (US) streetcar	Also called skate in Bicol Region.
undersecretary	deputy or assistant secretary	deputy to assistant secretary
viand	item of food eaten with rice; rice topping or side dish	any food item, not usually with rice, or choice dish	Influenced by Spanish vianda, and used to translate Tagalog ulam. Considered a misnomer.
village	gated community	small settlement	From its use in gated community names.

Words, expressions or usages peculiar to Philippine English

Word/phrase	English definition or equivalents understood in most English varieties	Notes
American Americano	white or Caucasian person	The shortened term "kano" is more commonly used, from Americano
apartelle	budget hotel based on an apartment	See also condotel
backrider	pillion rider
banana cue	skewered plantains, sprinkled with sugar, grilled and served hot
batchmate	student who graduated at the same time
bed-space	to rent a bedroom at a private home, where the rent for it is paid by a lodger or boarder"
boodle fight	gathering where food (usually pansit, or steamed rice and sardines) is served on old newspapers or banana leaves spread over a table and eaten with bare hands by a group of people	Devised by PMA cadets, and does not represent authentic Philippine culture, but instead symbolizes fraternity and equality among PMA members by their sharing the same food without regard to rank. From West Point slang meaning "any party at which boodle (candy, cake, ice cream, etc.) is served."
cadette	female cadet
carnapping	carjacking; motor vehicle theft	Blend of car and kidnapping.
chancing	sexual advance (usually groping) with suggestive body contact	Often associated with Silent Generation and baby boomer Filipinos.
civilian clothes	casual clothes	Usually in a context where one is not required to wear a uniform. From police terminology, referring to plainclothes officers.
comfort room	public toilet; restroom	often abbreviated to CR
community quarantine	A cordon sanitaire or stay-at-home order	Devised by the IATF-EID to distinguish a series of lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic from military lockdowns resulting from civil disorder or armed conflict, the latter being associated with Martial law. Compare with Malaysian English movement control order or Singaporean circuit breaker measure.
computer shop	Internet café	Mistranslation of Tagalog kompyuteran.
condotel/condoye	budget hotel based on a condominium	See also apartelle above
coupon bond	bond paper
cutex/cutics	nail polish	Genericized trademark
dine-in	eat-in; Stay (North America)
disco	nightclub	Also disco club, or simply club.
dirty ice cream	generic ice cream sold by street vendors
dirty kitchen	kitchen dedicated to household workers	Also found in West Asian households.
eat-all-you-can	all-you-can-eat	Common, but not necessarily peculiar to Philippine English.
estafa	fraud	Borrowing from Spanish
extra service	orgasm as part of erotic massage done by a masseur; happy ending
Filipino time/Pinoy time	habitual lateness of Filipinos	Stereotypical, but often used humorously. See also Juan time below
government-owned and controlled corporation	state-owned enterprise	Often abbreviated to GOCC.
green joke	off-color humor; ribaldry	Calque of Spanish chiste verde. See also green-minded below
green-minded	dirty-minded; having sexual thoughts	Related to green joke
grotto	garden or roadside shrine simulating a cave and containing a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary (mostly Our Lady of Lourdes), and sometimes paired with a water feature	From the holy cave in Lourdes, France.
handcarry hand-carry	carry-on; hand luggage
high-blood	heavily angered
hold-departure order	criminal travel injunction	Also abbreviated HDO
holdupper	hold-up robber; stick-up man
hollow block	cement, concrete, or foundation block, or hollow brick
house	any place of residence
housemate	roommate	Someone you share a house or apartment with, as opposed to roommate, someone you share a room with in separate beds
informal settler	squatter	Also in informal settler's area (slum or shanty town).
jeepney	purpose-built public transportation vehicles, originally made from used US military jeeps
jogging pants	sweatpants or track pants (especially as part of the physical education uniform in most schools in the Philippines)
Juan time	habit of being on time	After Juan dela Cruz.
kidnapable	person who is a likely target for kidnap for ransom for their wealth and social status	Slang, often used tongue-in-cheek.
kikay kit	container where a woman's make-up and toiletries are kept
load	(noun) prepaid credits; (verb) to reload mobile credits; top up
macho dancer	male stripper in a gay bar
McDo	McD's; Maccas (Australia)	Clipping of McDonald's. Also found in French.
minor subject	elective course; optional subject	Usually contrasts to a major subject, which are required core subjects.
minus one	background music of a song without the lyrics, usually as accompaniment for a live song performance.
necrological service	obituary or pre-burial event consisting of eulogies and songs, especially over a deceased celebrity or public figure	Used by funeral homes. Outside that context, first noted in writing in the Taglish elegy of Filipino poet V.I.S. de Veyra for English-language Filipino poet Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta titled Requiem Para Kay Ophie (Dimalanta)---Makata, Kritiko ng Wika which mentions "necrological service" among other Philippine English words and phrases. The phrase is also understood to mean "memorial service".
number two	mistress
nosebleed	serious difficulty conversing in English with a fluent or native English speaker, also anxiety during an examination, job interview or being afraid to be judged by others for not using proper grammar	Slang, often used to avoid conversing with English speakers.
pedestrian lane	pedestrian crossing/crosswalk	Pedestrian crossing is also used.
pekpek shorts	short shorts	From Tagalog vulgar slang for vagina.
pension house	family-owned guest house	From Spanish pensión
pentel pen	marker	Genericized trademark
person deprived of liberty	convicted prisoner; incarceree	Shortened to PDL.
pechay petsay pitchay	bok choy; a type of Chinese cabbage
Pisonet	Internet café with coin-operated computers that can be used for 5 to 15 minutes after dropping a Philippine peso coin	Genericized trademark
polo	dress shirt	From polo shirt.
practicumer	intern	From practicum.
presidentiable	presidential candidate
promodiser / promodizer	A person who introduces a product, has enough knowledge about how it works, and would like to encourage the people to buy it. Either hired by companies who create products for the common people to buy, or existing mall employees that were hired by third-party companies.	Possibly a portmanteau of "promotional merchandiser".
recollection	retreat
red egg	salted eggs with shells dyed magenta	Calque of Tagalog itlog na pula.
ref	fridge	Shortened from refrigerator.
remembrance	souvenir
revival	cover
rubber shoes	sneakers, athletic shoes or trainers
sando	sleeveless shirt, tank-top, wifebeater, vest or singlet	May be traced to the Bengali word sando-genji.
sari-sari store	small, neighborhood convenience store or booth	From the Tagalog sari-sari ("mixed" or "sundry").
school	any educational institution	Any educational institution, from kindergarten to university, are referred to as "school" in most casual conversations.
schoolmates	students who went to the same school	Also found in some varieties of English.
scotch tape	transparent adhesive tape	Genericized trademark, from the brand by 3M. Shared with American English.
senatoriable	Senate candidate
shabu	crystal methamphetamine	slang, from Japanese しゃぶ (shabu)
sign pen	a technical pen used for signing documents	Genericized trademark by Pentel.
sounds	music played in a radio, audio or speaker
stock knowledge	information usually acquired without actually studying.	slang usually by students
stolen shot	candid photography	slang
top-down	convertible
transient [home]	homestay
trouser pants	casual slacks	Coined in 2022 to refer to slacks often used for casual wear, rather than in formal occasions or in school/office.
unli	unlimited	E.g. in unli-text or unli-rice.
vetsin	monosodium glutamate	Genericized trademark from Tien Chun Ve-Tsin.
videoke	karaoke	Coined in the 1990s. Portmanteau of video and karaoke.
warfreak	belligerent person, someone who loves to pick fights
washday	day where an employee or student can wear casual clothes, as uniforms are usually laundered that day	May be traced back to a travel guide in 1908.

Words with Philippine origin

This is a list of English words which originate from any of the Philippine languages.

Word/phrase	Definition
abacá	a species of banana native to the Philippines. The plant is of major economical importance, being harvested for its fiber, called manila hemp, from abaka
adobo	refers to a Philippine dish or a Latin American marinade. The word entered English in 1938 and is of Spanish origin.
boondocks	a remote rural area, from Tagalog bundok ("mountain")
calamondin	a small evergreen citrus fruit tree, native to the Philippines, and used there for cooking and as a houseplant elsewhere, from Kapampangan kalamunding
capiz	decoration material, made of mother-of-pearl shells that have the same name
cedula	a Philippine tax. From Spanish cédula.
cooties	from Tagalog and Austronesian word kuto which literally means "head lice". Entered English in 1917 from the Malay kutu.
datto	a Philippine tribe leader
dita ditta	a Philippine tree
halo-halo	a dessert
lauan	the light yellow to reddish-brown or brown wood of any of various tropical southeast Asian trees, from Tagalog lawaan
machin	a grayish brown long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis philippensis), from matsing meaning monkey or ape
panguingue	19th-century gambling card game, from pangginggi
salacot	broad-brimmed hat woven from strips of cane or from palm leaves, from salakot
ube	Philippine yam
yo-yo	the toy, from Ilocano word yoyo

Abbreviations

Abbreviations are often punctuated in Philippine English when they are usually not. Some abbreviations are peculiar to Philippine usage.

• Asec. (assistant secretary. American English: Asst. Secy.)
• mtr. (meter. Standard English: m)
• PWD (person with disability )
• Usec. (undersecretary. American English: Undersec[y].)

Comparison with other varieties

Where British and American English vocabulary differs, Philippine English will generally prefer American usages, but Philippine English may share usages with British English, use both or follow its own usage.

American English	Philippine English	British English	Notes
academic program	course		American English uses course for a subject of an individual program. Philippine English uses course for both (through indirect Spanish influence) and therefore overlaps with British usage.
acetaminophen	paracetamol		Acetaminophen is used in the United States and Canada (as well as Japan and South Korea), while Philippines uses paracetamol, which is the international nonproprietary name used by the World Health Organization used elsewhere.
ad		advert	Abbreviation for advertisement
all-purpose flour		plain flour
at-large district	lone district
automated teller machine, ATM		cash machine
babysitting		child-minding
baked potato		jacket potato
ballpoint pen	ball pen	ball pen, biro
band-aid		elastoplast	Both terms are genericized trademarks
bangs		fringe
beltway		ring road
[restaurant] bill, check	bill
billboard		hoarding
bok choy	pechay	pak choy	American and British spellings reflect Cantonese pronunciation, while Philippine spelling reflect Hokkien pronunciation and borrowed through Spanish and Philippine languages.
bottom drawer		hope chest
bureau, chest of drawers	chest of drawers
cafeteria, canteen	canteen
candy		sweets
car detailing		car valeting
carnival, fair		funfair
cell phone, cellular phone		mobile phone	Can be abbreviated to CP in Philippine English.
checkers		draughts
chips		crisps
cilantro		coriander
clothespin		clothes peg
college or school (division of a university)		faculty
community service		community payback
corn		maize
cornstarch		corn flour
cotton ball		cotton wool
cotton candy		candy floss
cotton swab	cotton bud
councilmember, councilor	councilor	councillor	American English usually has councilmember and council(wo)man; councilor is less common.
counterclockwise		anticlockwise
cupcake		fairy cake, cupcake
custom-made		bespoke
dark chocolate		plain chocolate
derby hat	bowler hat
diaper		nappy
district attorney	fiscal	public prosecutor	Philippine English is from Spanish fiscal
divided highway, dual highway	divided road, dual carriageway	dual carriageway
drunk driving		drink-driving
economy class, coach class	economy class
eggplant		aubergine
eighth note		quaver
elevator		lift
elk, wapiti	elk	wapiti	British English elk refers to American English moose.
emergency room (ER)		accidents and emergencies (A&E)
exclamation point		exclamation mark
exhaust pipe, tailpipe	exhaust pipe
expressway, highway, freeway		motorway
expiration date, best before date	expiration date, expiration date	expiry date
extension cord		extension lead
faculty (staff)		academic staff
fanny pack		bum bag
fire department		fire brigade
first floor	ground floor, first floor	ground floor	Both usages current in the Philippines, but predominant usage is ground floor.
flashlight		torch
french fries		chips
garbage, trash		rubbish
garbage bag, trash bag		bin bag, bin liner, rubbish bag
garbage collector, garbageman		dustman
garbage bin, garbage can, trash bin, trash can,		dustbin, rubbish bin
garbage truck		bin lorry
garden hose		hosepipe
gasoline		petrol
gasoline station		petrol station
German Shepherd		Alsatian	German Shepherd is used in most English varieties except British English where Alsatian (after Alsace in France) is used due to historical anti-German sentiment.
goose bumps		goose pimples
hairpin		hairgrip
half note		minim
hardware store		hardware shop, ironmonger	May be simply called hardware in Philippine English.
icing, frosting	icing		In American English, both terms are synonymous, but bakers usually distinguish between the two. Philippine English primarily uses only icing.
popsicle	popsicle, ice drop	ice lolly
janitor		caretaker
Jell-O, jelly	jelly		Jell-O is a genericized trademark primarily used in the United States.
joint resolution	resolution of both houses
jumper (dress)		pinafore dress
landslide		landslip
laundry shop, laundromat	laundry shop, launderette
lawn	garden	lawn
Lima bean		broad bean
liquor store		off-licence
long-distance call		trunk call
manual transmission, stick-shift transmission	manual transmission	standard transmission, manual transmission
master of ceremonies (MC, emcee)		compere
math		maths
megaphone		loudhailer, megaphone
moose		elk	See also notes for "elk".
movie theater, moviehouse	cinema, moviehouse	cinema
nighstand, bedside table	bedside table
overalls		dungarees
pacifier		dummy
parking brake	handbrake
passing (vehicle)	overtaking
period		full stop
pharmacist		chemist
pickle		gherkin
plastic wrap, Saran wrap		cling film
police car, cop car, patrol car	police car
public holiday		bank holiday
pull-off (road)	lay-by, emergency parking bay	lay-by
punching bag		punchbag
push-up (exercise)		pull-up
quarter note		crotchet
railroad engineer, train engineer	train driver
railroad station, train station	train station, railway station, railroad station	railway station
raincoat		cagoule, mackintosh
raisin		sultana, raisin	British English distinguishes between raisins and sultanas
red-baiting	red-tagging
roundabout, traffic circle	rotunda, circle	roundabout	Philippine English rotunda is from Spanish rotonda.
sales clerk	sales clerk, shop assistant	shop assistant
sales tax	value added tax
scallion, spring onion	spring onion
sedan		saloon
semi-trailer		articulated lorry	Usually trailer truck.
shopping mall, shopping center		shopping centre
shot (vaccination)		jab
sidewalk		pavement
sixteenth note		semi-quaver
slingshot		catapult
sneakers	sneakers, rubber shoes	training shoes, trainers
soccer	football		American English football usually refers to gridiron football. See also Names for association football.
soccer shoe	football shoe	football boot
soda, pop	soft drink	fizzy drink	See also Soft drink#Terminology and Names for soft drinks in the United States for discussion on usage.
soda crackers	soda crackers, cream crackers	cream crackers
sofa, couch	sofa
special election		by-election
speed bump	[speed] hump	[speed] hump, sleeping policeman
sponge bath		blanket bath
station wagon		estate car
statute of limitations	prescriptive period	statute of limitations
stove		cooker
stovetop		hob
stroller		pram, pushchair
substitute teacher		supply teacher
suspenders		braces
sweater		jumper
takeout		takeaway
toilet, restroom, bathroom	toilet, restroom, bathroom, comfort room (CR)	lavatory, loo, water closet (WC)	See also Toilet (room)#Names. Lavatory is universally used for aircraft toilets.
toll-free		freephone
truck		lorry
trunk (of a car)		boot
turtleneck		polo neck
undershirt		vest
vacation		holiday
vacationeer		holidaymaker
vacuum cleaner		Hoover
wading pool		paddling pool
waiter, busboy		waiter
while		whilst
whole note		semibreve
windbreaker		windcheater
windshield		windscreen
wrench		spanner
yield (sign)	give way, yield	yield	Both usages current in the Philippines, but predominant usage is give way. On road signs, give way is used on standard yield signs in the Philippines, but "yield" is sometimes used on some yield signs and bicycle-related signage.
ZIP code		postal code
zipper		zip [fastener]
zucchini		courgette

Idioms

There are instances where Philippine English idioms are borrowed from British English as opposed to American English or American English as opposed to British English such as:

• A drop in the ocean (as with UK usage) as opposed to US a drop in the bucket
• Home away from home (as with US usage) as opposed to UK home from home
• Take with a pinch of salt (as with UK usage) as opposed to US take with a grain of salt
• Knock on wood (as with US usage) as opposed to UK touch wood
• Wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole (as with US usage) as opposed to UK wouldn't touch with a barge pole
• Slowpoke (as with US usage) as opposed to UK slowcoach

There are also instances where British idioms are prominently used in Philippine English such as: actions speak louder than words, an arm and a leg, barking up the wrong tree, beat around the bush, don't cry over spilled (UK: spilt) milk, it takes two to tango, kill two birds with one stone and steal someone's thunder.

There are also instances where American idioms are prominently used in Philippine English such as: before you know it, call it a day, down in the dumps, get the hang of it, hang in there, so far so good, two peas in a pod and under the weather.