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When Jigs and I became a couple, I didn’t expect to learn a lot from him Tagalog-wise. But as it turns out, there’s more to the vernacular than what most of us Manilenos recognize.


Born and raised in Bulacan, Jigs and his family are what I’d call makalumang Tagalog hustlers. Their words seem outlandish to me at times, but in Bulacan, I’m usually the odd one out when in comes to that.


Below are just some of the (malalalim na) Tagalog terms I learned from them. Note that these are still prevalently used in all parts of Bulacan:


kampit – kutsilyo
kalyehon – eskinita/ narrow alley
pamutat – kutkutin o dessert
mamasaheros – mag-commute via public transpo
banggerahan – lababo
bukatsa – nakabukas/ uwang ng malaki (i.e. when someone says bukatsang-bukatsa, it means bukas na bukas)
mag-urong –  maghugas ng pinggan
mahirate – mamihasa
kanya –  kaya

…And last but not the least, my personal favorite:
patitiin – ang akto ng pagpapatuyo ng pinggan by gravity (yung nilalagay mo siya sa lagayan na may tuluan ng tubig sa ilalim).




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2 Comments

  1. hi..I think Mag-urong, patitiin and pamutat are actually more specific to this area of Bulacan.. I hail from Norzagaray and when I use those words when talking to friends from Bataan and other nearby provinces, they dont use them..
    One thing you might want to add- Shorpet or baseball cap 😀

  2. Oh, I didn't know that. One more word learned today! Hehe.

    Yes, people from other provinces don't seem to be aware of those. Actually patitiin kind of makes my friends cringe. Haha!

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