Tagalog profanity includes a wide range of offensive, blasphemous, and taboo words or expressions in the Tagalog language of the Philippines. Due to Filipino culture, expressions which may sound benign when translated back to English can cause great offense; while some expressions English speakers might take great offense to can sound benign to a Tagalog speaker. Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, is the standard register of Tagalog, so as such the terms Filipino profanity and Filipino swear words are sometimes also employed.
In Tagalog, profanity has many names: in a religious or formal context, it is called lapastangang pananalita ("blasphemous/irreverent speech") or pag-alipusta/panlalait ("insult"). The word paghamak is also sometimes used formally and has a sense similar to "affront". Colloquially, the words mura ("swear word") and sumumpâ ("to wish evil [on someone]") are used.
Owing to successive Spanish and American colonial administrations, some Tagalog profanity has its etymological roots in the profanity of European languages. Other concepts, like hiya, are similar to sociological concepts such as face, which are common across East Asia.
Unlike in Western culture, where certain words are never acceptable in all but the most informal contexts, Tagalog profanity is context-sensitive: words which are considered profane or insulting in one context are often acceptable in another.
Putang ina mo
Owing partly to its use in speeches by 16th Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, the phrase putang ina mo (sometimes shortened to tang ina or minced as PI) has received considerable international attention and controversy as to its meaning. Puta is a borrowed word from Spanish, in which language it means "whore"; -ng is a contraction of the Filipino word 'ang,' which may translate in English to the linking verb 'is'; Ina is Tagalog for mother, while mo is the indirect second person singular pronoun. Therefore, if translated word-for-word, the phrase means "whore's [whore is] your mother".
However, most Tagalog speakers dispute this simplistic translation, instead alternately rendering the phrase as "son of a bitch", or as a variation of the word "fuck".
According to linguist Ben Zimmer, given the context and how the meaning of puta has shifted in Tagalog, the best translation of Duterte's original expletive directed to US President Barack Obama "Putang-ina, mumurahin kita diyan sa forum na iyan. Huwag mo akong ganunin." would be "Fuck, I will cuss you out at that forum. Don't do that to me."
Besides being directed at people, putang ina can be just as well directed at inanimate objects: University of the Philippines Los Baños Associate Professor of Communication, Research, and Children's Literature Cheeno Marlo M. Sayuno has documented the use of "tang ina error!" as an expression of exasperation due to PC errors, and "Uy net! Putang ina mo!" as something akin to "Hey, [slow] internet [connection], fuck you!" As in the English fucking, the phrase can also be used as an adjective, as in the case of "putanginang aso" ("fucking dog") or "Diyos ko, putanginang buhay ko!" ("God, fuck my shitty life!")
This non-literal meaning of the phrase putang ina mo has twice been affirmed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines: first in 1969 in its decision to Rosauro Reyes v. The People of the Philippines (G.R. No. L-21528 and No. L-21529), and then in 2006 in its decision to Noel Villanueva v. People of the Philippines and Yolanda Castro (G.R. No. 160351). In Reyes, a certiorari appeal to a criminal defamation and grave threats case, the court acquitted the defendant, ruling that his use of a protest sign reading "Agustin, putang ina mo" did not constitute defamation as
In the 1991 biopic action film Boyong Mañalac: Hoodlum Terminator, the main character (portrayed by Eddie Garcia) and most of the ensemble cast frequently used "" in most scenes.
In Juan Karlos' song "Ere" in the chorus "" ("Hmm, alright, isn't it fucked up?"), Lorin Bektas reads on word until her mother Ruffa Gutierrez asked, "What? Did you say a bad word?" Lorin jokingly said, "It's in Filipino, it doesn't count." Gutierrez posted the video recording their conversation on her TikTok account.
In Tililing, Yumi Lacsamana, Donnalyn Bartolome and Candy Pangilinan use the phrase while fighting over a panty: "" ("Fuck you! That's my panty you thief! That's my panty"), "" ("You fucking bitch! Shove it! Shove it into your lungs!") and "" ("Shut up! Fuck you!").
In Revirginized, Sharon Cuneta uses her word while on the beach, "" ("I am sorry, I'm really sorry and I care, I'm sorry I understand you, All mother whores! I understand!").
In Villanueva, another slander case involving two local politicians of Concepcion, Tarlac, the court reiterated its interpretation of the phrase, but the other facts of the case precluded acquittal.
Walang hiya Hiya is a Filipino psychological concept similar to face and modesty in other cultures. Author Mary Isabelle Bresnahan has described it thus: "just as the sensitive makahiya plant protects its inside from direct touch, so too do people hold back in defense of loob [their inner selves]." When translated to English, the words "shame", "embarrassment" and "dishonor" can be employed as a substitute for hiya depending on context.
Like much Tagalog profanity, the phrase "Walang hiya ka!" (You have no shame!) can vary in offense taken from very little to "the ultimate loob-wounding comment" depending on context and the relationship between the speaker and the receiver. According to Gerhard van den Top, allegations of shamelessness are most damaging when the social class of people differ, and the poor may consciously avoid interaction with the rich to prevent even unspoken damage to hiya.
In his oft-cited 1964 article "Hiya", psychologist Jaime C. Bulatao defines Walang hiya as "recklessness regarding the social expectations of society, an inconsideration for the feelings of others, and an absence of sensitivity to the censures of authority or society."
Tae Unlike in many other languages, Tagalog has no word for excrement that would be considered considerably vulgar, such as English shit or Spanish mierda. The two Tagalog words for feces, tae and dumi, are closer to the sense of the English poop. In fact, these words are often used even in medical contexts: a pagtae is a bowel movement, while pagtatae references diarrhea. Tae, is, however, considered by some to be slightly more crass than the more euphemistic dumi. In medical contexts, the words derived from the more euphemistic dumi is used to sound more pleasant, like pagdumi for bowel movement instead of pagtae & pagdudumi/pagdurumi for diarrhea instead of pagtatae. Nevertheless, these words can still be used to cause offence if the speaker adds to them, of course, as in the expression Kumain tae (eat shit). Sometimes, tae can also be used as a variation of tangina mo, replacing it with taena which is used as a milder version of tangina.
Punyeta Descended from the Spanish puñeta, the Tagalog version of this word is seldom used in the Spanish sense of "wanker", but rather as an interjection expressing frustration, disappointment, or misery. When punyeta is used as an insult directed at a person as in "Mga punyeta kayo!" (You are all punyeta(s)!), it has a sense similar to the English word asshole.
This word was used heavily by John Arcilla, who portrayed General Antonio Luna in the 2015 Philippine epic film Heneral Luna, in lines such as "" (Speaking English to me in my own country? What an asshole!). Ambeth R. Ocampo, writing in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, criticized the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for giving the film a R-18 rating despite the use of this word and others just because the swear words were Spanish-derived. Cristine Reyes was swearing in the catfight scene with Isabelle Daza in ABS-CBN's afternoon Drama Tubig at Langis where shot in Bolinao, Pangasinan, "" (Come here, You asshole! You Itch! You Very Itch!), Sharon Cuneta used her word in 2021 Vivamax film Revirginized, in lines such as "" (in asshole what the hell... is this?!), John Lapus used his word in 2012 film Moron 5 and the Crying Lady, in lines such as "" (That's spoiled asshole!). Other observers have described punyeta as being as obscene as putang ina mo.
Gago Gago is a descendant of the Spanish word gago, which means "stutterer", but means "stupid", "foolish" or "ignorant" in Tagalog. It is interchangeable with the related terms of native etymology: tanga, (b)ugok, botlog, (b)ulol and bobo.
Slang terms derived from gago are kagaguhan ("a foolish action" [noun form]), ogag (same meaning as gago), and nakakagago ("to be made to feel stupid").
Ulol, loko, and sira-ulo can be used similarly, but they are not interchangeable; they also imply madness or intellectual disability on top of stupidity.
According to Article 27 ("On-Air Language") of the Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines's 2007 Broadcast Code of the Philippines, "Name-calling and personal insults are prohibited." While this code is strictly voluntary and only affects members of the organization, as the organization counts among its members widely syndicated channels such as ABS-CBN and TV5, penalties for breaking this rule affect a large number of broadcasters and media personalities: fines start at 15,000, and quickly escalate to 25,000 and a 90-day suspension.
Like many Spanish words borrowed into Tagalog, gago is gendered: the female form for a single woman or group of women is gaga, while gago is used for a single man, a group of men, or a group of men and women.
According to the UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino, gago is also used in the sense of mahina ang ulo (a slow learner).
Pakshet Pakshet is a portmanteau of the English words "fuck" and "shit", altered to fit the phonology of Filipino; the words pak and shet can also be used on their own to similar effect. While most commonly used as an interjection, rather non-intuitively for English speakers, pakshet can also be used as an insult describing a person, as in Pakshet ka!, which could be rendered as Fuck you! or [You] asshole! in English.
Summit Media's Spot.ph online magazine claims that the word pakshet was popularized by the 2002 film Jologs, but given its etymology, it may date back to the first American contacts with the Philippines.
Bwisit Bwisit (sometimes spelled buwisit), is a Tagalog expression used for unlucky events, or for something that is a nuisance. Mildly vulgar, it derives from the Philippine Hokkien expression (), literally meaning "without clothes or food". An example of use would be "", meaning, "Damn that rain!", literally, "That rain is so annoying!" In Tagalog dub of 2gether: The Series, Thai actor Win Metawin on his dub on trailer said "", "Damn you!" or "you're annoying".
Leche Leche, alternatively "Letse", is used as an expression of annoyance or anger. It can be used as an interjection i.e. "leche!", or in a sentence. It is in the same context of "bwisit" i.e. "bwisit na mga tao 'to; leche na mga tao 'to (lit. these people are annoying) which can be contextually translated to "these fuckin' people." It became popular when Spanish was still the language used by a major demographic in the country. Leche or letse (Spanish for "milk") is derived from the Spanish profanity "Me cago en la leche," which literally translates to "I defecate in the milk" where leche is a euphemism for ley ("law"), referring to the Law of Moses.
Hayop Hinayupak is another Tagalog vulgar word, referring to a person acting like an animal, which has as its root the word hayop, which means "animal". Hayop can be used on its own as well, as in, mga hayop kayo!, meaning, "you animals!".
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