Popular Pinoy slang words

To cap off Buwan ng Wika, here are five Filipino slang words you may not have heard of because you live in Australia or because you haven't been to the Philippines in a while.

Filo Slang

Stay in the loop and add these current Filipino slang words to your vocabulary. Source: Getty Images/XiXinXing

1. Lodi

No, it's not the name of a super villain (that's Loki) or the token name of a Filipino actor (that's Lloydie), lodi is 'idol' spelled backwards. It's the best representation of the Filipinos' penchant for creating backward slang words (remember rapsa and petmalu?).

2. Waley

A term that translates to 'none', or to the Filipino word 'wala', the opposite of 'waley' is 'havey' or 'to have'.   

3. Syonga

'Syonga' is a term used to describe someone stupid. And the beauty of this word? It's even more fun when you describe the stupidity of someone's actions - as in, syo-syonga-syonga. Say it with me now.

4. Mumshie

As if mothers don't have enough titles (mom, mum, mother, nanay, ina, healer, personal-assistant, detective, and so much more), mumshie is another term you can use to refer to a Pinoy mum. 

5. Beshie

Best said with a cutesy fake lisp, beshie means 'best friend'. 

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Published 31 August 2018 7:54am
Updated 31 August 2018 9:28am
Presented by Nikki Alfonso-Gregorio


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