Gabay. [ga bay´] A person who is helping another. Can also refer to a means of helping someone.

Gabi. [ga bee´] There are two meanings of this word, depending on the accent. The more common meaning is night or evening. (Accent on the second syllable.) When on the first syllable, it is a root crop with the consistency of a sweet potato, but bland like a potato.

Simbang gabi [sim bang´ ga bee´] are the 9-day novena Masses Catholics observe from December 16-24. And when they say gabi—they mean gabi. Masses start at 4 am when the country’s weather may be cool to chilly, and twinkling stars are the only illumination. During Spanish times, the ritual was called Misa de Gallo (rooster) because the cocks start to crow right after Mass, as if to inform those who missed it, to attend the following morn.

Gago. [ga´go] You unkindly call someone gago (gaga is the female version) when you think the person acted stupidly. This vulgar term is pretty old. When we were children, we were forbidden to use it.

Galing! [ga ling´] You’re good! or how wonderful! But may refer to the ability of someone to accomplish a task through brains and/or hard work. You say swerte instead when the accomplishment is through sheer luck.

Galing-galing. [ga ling´ gah ling´] Also means that’s great or that’s super.  It  praises in a more informal way.

[Ma] galing ka na! [ma gah ling´ ka  na] Figuratively it means, okay you win or I concede, you’re good.

Galit na! [gah lit´ na] One is pretty mad that someone has to announce it to avoid bloodshed, figuratively or literally!

Gana. [ga´na] Or ganas to mean enthusiasm or liking for. Another Spanish word.

Ganoon ba? [ga´ no on ba?] Really? No kidding!

Ganti. [gan ti´] The act of getting even (verb) or one’s revenge (noun). The cause of much pain on both sides when we do not turn the other cheek.

Ganyan-ganyan. [gan yan´ gan yan´] The Pinoy versionof etcetera, etcetera. Or
directly translates into like that--like that.

Ganyan talaga. [gan yan´ ta la ga´] This means, that’s the way it is. Is this part of our so-called fatalistic nature?

[Ang] gara! [ga´ruh] How elegant! Usually referring to one’s clothes.

Garapal. [gar a pal´] From the Spanish garafal to mean excessive or no shame. Used to describe white collar thieves, mostly politicians (again) who rob the country’s coffers when they know most Pinoys have next to nothing.

Gaspang. [gas pang´] To mean rough or crude. Some times, it can refer to someone’s speech.

Gastadora. [gas ta do´ra] A spendthrift. In Spanish, gasta means one spends. My mother’s favorite term for my sisters and me when we go shopping till we drop.

Gastarol. [gas ta rol´] The adjective to describe something that is wasteful: a car that uses up too much gas, or the flat iron that consumes too much electricity.

Gastos. [gas´tos] The Spanish and Filipino word for expenses. To make it an adjective (as in many Filipino nouns) a ma+ is simply added: so magastos means a lot of expense.

Gawad Kalinga. [ga´wad  ka ling´ a] To give care. A fantastic private initiative of businessman Tony Meloto and Couples for Christ, a Roman Catholic group. (We will make an exception and include an NGO since GK deserves all the publicity it can get.)

To make sure we do justice to this entry, we quote directly from their Website:Gawad Kalinga is an alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty.GK’s vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.

[It] started in 1995 as a daring initiative...to rehabilitate juvenile gang members and help out-of-school youth in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, then the biggest squatters’ relocation area in the Philippines.

[GK] has now evolved into a movement for nation-building. Together with its partners, Gawad Kalinga is now in the process of transforming poverty stricken areas with the goal of building 700,000 homes in seven years (2003-2010). To date Gawad Kalinga is in over 900 communities all over the Philippines and in other developing countries.

Gawang Hapon. [ga wang´ ha pon´] Made in Japan. A negative description of products made in Japan right after World War II to about the 1960’s when their products were flimsily made.  Of course today that is the exact opposite.

Gawang Pinoy. [ga wang´ Pee noy´] Made in the Philippines. A neutral statement, but more often than not, a positive and proud label we give to Pinoy
products, creativity and skills in almost any field of endeavor.

Gawan ng paraan. [ga wan´ nang  pa ra an´] Make do. Perhaps because we are a poor people, Pinoys have learned to use whatever we have. If we lack a necessary tool, we invent a substitute. If the ingredients are not enough, we modify the recipe. If something breaks, we repair it rather than spend for a new one. All in all a good trait that encourages thrift and
recycling.

Gaya-gaya. [ga ya´ ga ya´] An imitator. Pinoys are good at this, whether it is following the latest fad or copying an original—sometimes making it better!

Gayuma. [ga yoo´ma] A spell of some sort that will make the
target feel positively about the person casting the spell.

Gets mo? [gets mo´] A colloquial way of asking, do you get what I mean? Of course purists shudder at the way we’ve invented another Taglish word. Gg. A small, poor man’s fish: galunggong.

Giba [gui ba´] Meaning broken, ruined. Gibang-giba means really broken.

Gigil. [gui´guil] A behavior hard to define since it seems it’s unique to our race. But we’ll try. Usually toddlers display this emotion of like or dislike, by tightly grasping the person or object, then making a face to show how much effort is put into the grasp. If you can’t get what we mean, ask a Pinoy raised in the Philippines to demonstrate!

Gilid. [gui´lid]  The edge or border.

Gimik. [gui´mik] This Taglish word, from the word gimmick, is similar to happening or event. Mag-gimik tayo means let’s do
something cool.

Ginatan [gui na tan´] . A snack (usually served for merienda) of bananas, sweet potato, ground rice balls, translucent soya balls and sliced jackfruit, cooked in coconut milk and sugar. Other Asian countries with coconut trees have a similar soupy concoction—but definitely not
as good!

Ginisa sa sariling mantika [guin nee sah´  sa  sah ree´ling  mun tee´ kah] Cooked in one's own fat. Caused one's own problems, downfall.

[Ay] Ginoo! [gui noh uh´]  Another way of saying my
God! or my Lord! Ginoong is the title for Mr. while Ginang is title for Mrs.

Ginto [guin to´] This means the metal gold, or something precious in a figurative sense. Did you know that the Philippines was once among the world’s top gold producers until the terms of the Tydings-McDuffy law? Google it on the Web for more info.

Girlaloo. [girl lah loo]. An honest-to-goodness female, thought to be gay in the hit song of the same name.

Gising [gui´sing] A verb to mean wake up and the noun (accent on second syllable) means awake. My best friend programmed my son’s computer to say, G2, gising na. Tanghali na! (wake up, it’s late!) when we lived in Canada’s boonies and the sun came up only at 9am.

Gling-gling A short cut of galing galing meaning super! Or great! Super!

[Ilan] gives? [I lan´ givs´] The question asked of a person willing to sell by installment. Gives means the installment amount. This is the only way some of us can buy more expensive things. Our version of the lay-away plan.

Gonggong or gunggong[gong gong´] Someone stupid.
See tanga.

Golpe de gulat. [gol´ peh de goo´ lat] Something exaggerated on purpose to exact surprise or even admiration.

Great imitators. Copy cats. A title given to Pinoys. Turn on the TV, shop in flea markets, and check out Pinoys who love to imitate anything good and useful, and you’ll know what we mean.

Gripo. [gree´poh] A faucet. Can be used as an adjective to describe the heavy flow of a liquid: parang gripo.

GRO. Guest relations officer. A euphemism for a bar hostess.

Guapa(o) [gwa po] Good-looking. By general Pinoy
standards—inaccurately—some one who has Caucasian blood. Nice that other races have begun to embrace different standards of beauty. May be used to call someone’s attention the way maganda is used.

Gubat. [goo´bat] A forest, a wooded area. Can also refer to the untamed wilderness—the untouched tropical forests we are losing to illegal logging and
farming. Luckily, there are more NGOs dedicated to saving the environment and educating people about climate change.

Guhit. [goo´hit] A line, a stroke, or one gram (out of 1000 to make a kilogram). Yes, we Pinoys buy and sell in this quantity. Also the verb for to draw (accent on
second syllable).

[My] gulay. [ mie goo lie´] My veggies!  Just expressing surprise over a trivial matter.

Gulo. [goo lo´] Any kind of trouble. Can also mean messy, disorganized. You can use it to describe your state of mind (magulo ang isip ko); to describe your teenage son’s messy room (magulo ang silid mo!) or even a conference gone bad (magulo ang miting namin).

Gulong ng palad. [goo long´ nang pa´lad] Figuratively, means the wheel of fortune. Pinoys are an optimistic people who believe that even if the world hands them a rotten deal today, the sun will come out tomorrow.

Gulpe. [gool peh´] To beat up, to maul. Something irate fathers do when they discover that their progeny are imitating their behavior. From the Spanish word golpear—to bump or hit.

Gunting. [goon ting´] A pair of scissors. Many Filipino words can be nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs, depending on the prefix or suffix added to the word. For instance, ginunting means it was cut. So when one usually thinks in Filipino, then translates directly into English, one will wind up saying I scissored it!

Gurang. [goo rang´] A slang term for shrew.

Guro. [goo´ro] Filipino word for teacher, for learned or wise person. Could have been derived from the East Indian word guru that means the same thing.

Gusot. [goo sot´] This word literally means a crease or a crumple in a piece of fabric or paper. It can also mean a small problem or a kink in a situation. May gusot ang pamilya namin means we have a slight problem in the family.

Gusgus. [gus gus´] Meaning scratched or a scratch. Happens daily to many vehicles since we Pinoys are crazy drivers. Name of our son’s ragdoll cat, short for Augusto.

Gusto. [goos to´] This is generally a verb to mean like, but it can be used to mean the object of one’s liking. In Spanish, gusto means to taste, and me gusto means gives pleasure to me. Not to be confused with the English word gusto to mean enthusiasm or with relish, although they seem related.

Gustong-gusto. [goos tong´ goos to´] This means like very much.

Gutom na gutom. [goo toom´ na goo toom´] Super hungry to
the point of over-eating when the food does come. But for those who have nothing, it can mean starvation.

Guyabano. [goo ya ba´ no] A milky white, succulent and meaty fruit (soursop in English). Usually made into a drink or shake. Guyabanos remain green outside but become soft to the touch when ripe.

To find other definitions, please press the first letter of the word: