Sino ito?

Many words in the Filipino language have Sino origins

THE FILIPINO language is a potpourri of unique vocabulary with origins from Malay, Chinese, Spanish, English, Japanese and Indian words and terms. Linguistic expert Jose Villa Panganiban claims that there are 30,000 root words in Filipino, with close to 5,000 of these words coming from the Spanish language, and 3,000 with Malay origins.

Over a thousand are from Chinese dialects, mainly Hokkien origins. Before the Spaniards crossed the Pacific Ocean and landed in the archipelago, there were several kingdoms existing in Luzon. In those early times, there was diplomatic relationship between the Kingdom of Tondo and the Chinese kingdom of the Ming Dynasty.

Philippine history also is replete of stories about Chinese settlers living in old communities found in many trading centers of the country. No wonder, many Filipino words are unmistakeably of Chinese origin. Here are some of them. On relationships “Ate” (pronounced as a-teh) in Filipino means elder sister; in Hokkien, it is pronounced as “a–chí.” This word is also used as a term of respect from a younger person to an older female person. The word “ditse” (pronounced as deecheh) is pronounced as “di–chí” in Hokkien, which means second eldest sister in the family. In Hokkien, it is only used by the younger siblings in the family to address the second eldest sister.

The word “kuya” is pronounced in Hokkien as “keh–ya” or “ah-hya,” which means elder brother. “Kuya” is a word also used as a term of respect from a younger person to an older male person.

The word “suki” in Filipino means regular customer, and is pronounced in Hokkien as “chu–khe.” On objects The Filipino word “hikaw” is pronounced in Hokkien as “hee–kau,” which means earrings. The word “hee” means ear in Hokkien while “kau” means latch or hook.

The word “susi” in Tagalog means key in English, and is pronounced in Hokkien as “so–sî. On food The popular Chinese New Year’s cake “tikoy” is pronounced in Hokkien as “tih–ke.” The word “tih” means sweet while “ke” means cake. This sticky dessert cake is popularly given as a gift wishing for auspicious welcome to the new year. Tikoy is believed to symbolize sweet beginnings, and a recipient will have good fortune “stick” to them.

The popular soup “batchoy” has its Hokkienese origins that is pronounced as ”bah-chúi.” The word “bah” literally means meat while “chui” mean tiny bits or portions.

“Bihon” or vermicelli made from rice in its Hokkienese form is pronounced as “bí-hún.” The word “bi” means rice and “hun” is powder. The rice powder is used to make the vermicelli.

The word “bitsin” or “vetsin” (or monosodium glutamate) is called “bi-cheng” in Hokkien.

The popular “Lumpia” is pronounced in Hokkien as “lun-piá,” which means fried or fresh spring rolls.

Another popular noodle dish, “pancit,” is pronounced in Hokkien as “pian-ê-si?t,” which has many variants but essentially means noodles with sauce. This is cooked in many ways with different ingredients. It is customary to serve uncut noodles in “pancit” to symbolize long life. Pancit is often served during birthday celebrations and the arrival of guests or loved ones from a long voyage.

Another staple in Chinese fastfood chains is “mami,“which in Hokkien is pronounced as “bahmi.” “Bah” means meat while “mi” means noodles.

The word “petsay” or Chinese cabbage is pronounced in Hokkien as “pe?h-chài.” The word “peh” means white and “chai” means vegetable or cabbage.

Another popular fastfood dish called “siopao” is pronounced as “sio-pau” in Hokkien, which is a meat–filled and steamed bun. The word “sio” means hot, and “pau” literally means bun.

A number of soy bean products have Chinese origins in the Filipino language. The word “tokwa” means beancurd or tofu, and is pronounced in Hokkien as “tau-koa.” Soy sauce in Filipino is “toyo,” and is pronounced in Hokkien as “tau–iû”. The word “tau” means beans while “iu” means oil or extract. The word “tausi,” which is pronounced in Hokkien as “tau-si,” means beans fermented in brine.