Na. [na] A favorite adverb we add to our sentences to mean already or now. And we do this even when speaking English! This Taglish sentence is an example: She’s there na (now).

Nag. [nug] The past tense prefix added to the root of a verb. For example: Linis means clean. Add nag and it becomes naglinis
or cleaned.

Nagwala. [nug wah lah´] To go berserk either permanently or temporarily. Little kids make wala (as we say in Taglish) over the slightest things. But come to
think of it, there are also a lot of adults who can get into a frenzy for nothing!

Na-isahan. [nah´ ee sah han´] To have been fooled or cheated. Literal translation: got one (isa) over you.

Nakaka... [nah kah´kah] Now this is a toughy to explain. Roughly translated, nakaka means (it) makes you become. Add nakaka to ganda (beauty). The end result is nakakaganda that means it adds to its beauty.
Or add it to payat (thin) and nakakapayat means it makes you thin or it makes you look thin, the ultimate compliment for us
gals over 50!

Nakakaawa. [nah kah´kah ah´wah] Someone who should
be pitied.

Nakakaadwa. [nah kah´kah ad´wah] The root is adwa which means nausea or disgust. So do the addition and you get makes you feel nauseated or disgusted.

Naku! [nah koo´] Oh no! What we love to punctuate our
sentences with to show
utter surprise.

Naks! [nahks!] A shortened version of naku. Used more often as a positive reinforcement or a compliment whilenaku! is usually negative in slant.

Naman! [nah mun´] How could this happen? Golly gee!

Namuti siya. [nah moo tee´ si ya´] She or he turned white. We just think it’s funny because many Filipinos’ obsession is to be fair-skinned. And when one says
namuti siya it’s either because
one is scared (white from fright) or one took pills to lessen
the melanin!

Nangangasiwa. [nah nga´nga see´wah] This means the one in charge. Or the one who has responsibility over, usually over property or land.

Napaka. [nah pah kah´] A prefix added to mean very.  For instance: napakaliit means very small or minute.

Napaka-simple lang. [nah pah kah´sim pleh´ lang] The Pinoy version of It’s all very
elementary, Watson.

Napag-uusapan lang. [nah pag´oo oo sah´pan  lang] Just talking about it...by the way…  When one hears it from an elder, expect some unsolicited advice with it.

Nasa loob.[nah´sah  low ob´] Is inside, literally. Figuratively, in prison or in a mental hospital.

Naspu-naspu. [nas puh´nas puh´] A slang term for taking a sponge bath instead of a regular shower or bath. Notice that naspu is the transposed syllables of punas which means wipe.

Natural lang. [nah too ral´ lang] It’s only natural…that you don’t win in the lottery if you never
buy tickets.

Nerbiyos. [ner bee yos´] From the same word in Spanish:
nervousness. What we’ll feel when our son rides his motorcycle from Ecuador to Argentina—by himself. Nineteen kopon-kopon. [koh´pon koh´pon] Ages ago.

Ningas kugon. [ning as´ koo´goon] Tall weeds (kugon) that can catch fire right away but burn out as fast. Used to describe anything that begins with a lot of enthusiasm but ends in a whimper.

Ningning. [ning ning´] Brilliance, brightness, luster. The way a star shines. My sister-in-law’s nickname for Catalina.
Ninja. A slang word for smuggler. With 7,111 islands, the temptation is great to bring in people and contraband via the South China Sea or the Pacific.

Ninuno. [nee noo´noh] One’s ancestors. Because of our Chinese heritage, there’s a
good number of Pinoys who
pay tribute or even worship
their ancients.

Nipa. [nee pah’] An East Indian palm that has grown in the Philippines for centuries.

Nipa hut. [nih pah hut’] Our quintessential bahay kubo that turns out to be of imported materials!

Nipis. [nee pis´] Thinness. The way our hair goes as we age; or the way Pinoy-made products lose their quality to cut costs and keep the prices affordable.

Noli Me Tangere. [noh´lee meh tang´ heh reh] The semi-
autobiographical first novel of national hero Jose Rizal on Filipino life and times. The books (El Filibusterismo was the sequel) were banned because they were socio-political critiques of the Spanish regime.
Noon araw/noon unang panahon. [noh ong´ ah´raw/noh ong´ oo´nang pah nahhon´] In the past or during my time. What you don’t want to hear from a centenarian when she gives advice about her child-rearing practices.

Noon pa man. [noh on´ pah man´] Even when or at that very time.

Nose bleed. Our son didn’t speak much Pilipino. Friends told him he was “nose bleed.”  Translation: our son’s accent was too westernized that no one wanted to converse with him, for fear of taxing their brains and getting a nosebleed! I can see dead grammar teachers turning in their graves.NR. Short for no response. Maybe clueless. Check out deadma.

Nuno sa punso. [noo noh´ sa pun soh´] A dwarf who lives on an ant hill.
[Pag]nuynoy. [pag nooy noi] A reflection or serious thought. The word sure doesn’t sound like it.N’yek! Contributed by our nephew Anthony G. who claims that this is different from ngi, a word he also gave. Both mean voicing a disagreement.  But the
difference? Only an eight year old will know for sure.

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