The characteristic and nature of our language largely speaks of our culture which distinguishes our identity and uniqueness from other societies.

Filipino curse words, like any other cultural terms, have its origin and meaning. It serves as living evidence of our historical past and in some way, it explains how we Filipinos think and behave.

1. Put*ng ina

The word puta, whore or prostitute in English, is of Spanish origin. It was combined with the Tagalog word ina and used as an adjective to describe the latter. In Spanish, they have ijo de puta or son of a b*tch. It will be too long if translated to Tagalog word for word, anak ka ng puta, which made it more comfortable to refer to the mother instead.

Today, in our culture, it is used as an expression or curse even if the referred mother is not a whore in real life. Surprisingly, even males could be labeled as such.

Di ka na naman naligo! ‘Tang in* ka!

Put*ng ina talaga ‘yang tatay mo!

The puta referring to females stems from the patriarchal culture of the Spanish colonizers. During the pre-Hispanic times, females have equal rights with males. Is this the reason why we use the sexist remark ‘put*ng ina’ to refer even to males? Why didn’t we invent put*ng ama instead?

Putragis, putek, or putakti are morphophonemic variations of the word puta. These are used more of an expression of annoyance.

2. Pesteng yawa

This negative remark is a combination of Tagalog and Visayan language. The Tagalog peste means parasite and Visayan term yawa means devil. It could be said that pesteng yawa means a person acting like a parasite depicting a devilish character.

Today, it could refer to any person or a thing that causes trouble. But it is also used as an expression of disappointment. For example, if your faucet runs out of water, you may shout pesteng yawa!

3. Kupal

Originally, kupal is a Tagalog word referring to a yellowish paste-like substance accumulating inside the skin of an uncircumcised human penis. In English, they call it smegma and it is used as a medical term.

Today, there is no definite qualification of who must be described as such. Its meaning would depend on the context when and how it was used. The best meaning I can give is that it is a negative term used to describe or call a person acting differently from what is expected and favorable.

Ang laki na naman ng bill natin. Kupal talaga ‘yang Meralco!

But sometimes, it could also be used as a term of endearment between two close friends:

A: Hoy, kupal, libre mo nga ako ng softdrink!

B: O, sige! Kuha ka lang d’yan.

Many people avoid using the term and are not comfortable to hear it either. The problem is that, whenever we hear it, its contemporary meaning confuses us with the originally equivalent term smegma. Yucky!

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4. Tarantado

Tarantado is of Spanish origin. It is the adjective form of taranta meaning bewildered, confused, or disoriented.

For this reason, the term tarantado could be used in TV, radio, or print without fearing admonition from government censors.

Today, it could refer either to a neighbor playing stereo too loud during midnight or a corrupt public official who stole pork barrel funds. Mga tarantado sila!

5. Gago

The term gago is a Spanish and Portuguese derivative. It means stupid nowadays. But originally, it is a nickname for a man afflicted with a stammer or stutter. In Tagalog, its closes synonym would be bulol.

I guess the reason why we use it to call a stupid person is because stuttering is well associated with stupidity.

We also use the term kagaguhan, a noun referring to acts if foolishness. We also have ogag, a Filipino variation of the term gago spelled backwards. There is no huge difference in meaning of the two, however, ogag could be said with lesser restriction or feeling of guilt. Its meaning today may refer to anything or anyone annoying.

Pinagti-trip-an niyo na naman ako! Mga gago!

Bakit di mo pinatay yung kalan? Ogag ka talaga.

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6. Buwisit

The Tagalog expression buwisit is from the Fukien phrase bo ui sit which means no clothes or food. This is the reason why we associated it with bad luck.

Natalo team natin dahil sa’yo! Buwisit ka!

This term originally referred to someone who causes bad vibes. But for the contemporary Filipino, it could mean anything frustrating or anyone irritating.

Naiwan ko ‘yung charger ko! Bwisit!

7. Engrato / engrata

Engrato is of Spanish origin. It refers to someone ungrateful. In Tagalog, its closest equivalent would be walang utang na loob. Obviously, the term engrato is an influence from Spanish friars and authorities who colonized the Philippines for 333 years. Engrato is masculine and engrata is a feminine equivalent.

We rarely hear this term nowadays. The youth today are not well acquainted with the word. Children of the 80s and 90s surely have heard it from their grandparents expressing anger to their ungrateful son, daughter, or grandchild. Maybe, they are those who received the mandatory introductory Spanish subject in high school and 6 units of Spanish in college.

Sometimes, we also hear it from Tagalog movies or TV drama series. Obviously, it is always the rich and powerful villain who remarks this to the poor, weak protagonist.

8. Hudas

Hudas, or Judas in English, is a Biblical character. He is among the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus by telling to the authorities his whereabouts in exchange of a few pieces of silver.

In this light, a person referred to as Hudas is someone who is betraying a friend or an associate.

In Philippine jeepneys, it is common to see a slogan saying “God knows HUDAS not pay.” Hudas resonates with the phrase ‘who does’ to which it was substituted. It could be concluded that a passenger HUDAS not pay is considered a traitor by the driver.

A squealer in the pork barrel scam could be called a Hudas or nang-Hudas by their former partner in crimes. But for the Filipinos, they are the whistle blowers unraveling the truth.

9. Leche

Again, leche is from the Spanish language and it literally means milk.

In Filipino cuisine, we have a dessert called leche flan. Its main ingredients are egg yolks and of course, sweetened milk.

Because milk is associated to a youngster, the curse ‘leche’ means “childish” or “child-like”. In Tagalog, it is isip-bata.

Today, leche is a negative remark towards an annoying person, whatever that “annoying” means. Although it originally means milk, today, it is a curse comparable to a dagger with sharp edge that could easily wound a heart of a child.

10. Hinayupak

Basic knowledge of the structure of Filipino language would suggest that its root word is hayop. It has a gitlaping (what is gitlapi in English?) -in- and add on –ak in its tail. It is h+in+ayup+ak.

If this is the case, hinayupak would mean animal or animal-like behavior, or an act which is inhuman.

For example, if a thief snatches your bag, you would probably shout hinayupak ka!

Conclusions

These 10 curse words sometimes have overlapping meanings and could be used interchangeably; depending on the context it is used. For example, a corrupt official may be cursed with any term from the list. People could choose any from the wide range of curse words listed in here as long as the situation and occasion justifies its use.

Although these “bad words” carry negativity in it, using it serves as a way for us to express our dissatisfaction or frustration, and thus, helps us to emotionally adapt.

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