The Philippine Online Chronicles

“Nakakakilig!,” my friends and I gushed after watching yet another romantic comedy. We swooned, giggled and sighed until our foreigner friend asked us, “What does that mean?”

“Kilig?,” we asked. Then we got stumped. How do you capture that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling in one word? How can you even say “kilig to the bones” in straight English? We grasped for words – Twitterpated! Giddy! Delightful shiver! None seemed to capture the essence of kilig. My local friends and I promised we’d let her know once we find that one English word that fully translates kilig.

It’s been four years since that conversation happened and we still haven’t gotten back to her. Good luck to us.

There are a lot more words that are difficult to translate into the local language. Let’s talk about “gigil.”

“Nakakagigil ang bata!”

The translation that’s going around online is “the urge to pinch or squeeze something that is unbearably cute.” That seems to work. It sure is a mouthful of words though. Given that translation, the sentence would translate to “That kid is so unbearably cute I want to pinch her!” Translating it back to Tagalog though, it could be “Sa sobrang kakyutan ng bata gusto ko siyang kurutin!”

What if you look at the picture and simply say, “Gigil!” What’s that one word? Maybe it’s hard to translate because it’s onomatopoeic (words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to). Associated actions with gigil could be trembling with delight (“Nanggigigil kami sa 'yong kagandahan...” – Nanggigil, Hagibis) or vibrating with joy, such as squeezing your hands into fists, shaking in the air, trying to hold back the urge to pinch those big baby cheeks. Don’t those actions seem to come with that trembling “gi gi gi” sound? Gigil!!!

How about the word “sayang”?

“Sayang!”

When spoken about things that have gone to waste, it could mean “What a pity!” or “What a waste!”  Is that really the emotion behind “sayang” though? Maybe that’s what makes some Tagalog words so difficult to translate – the emotions attached to them.

Person 1: “I can’t make it to the party.”

Person 2: “Sayang.”

Hmm. It’s not a pity party, but it’s not wasteful either. So what’s the one translated word for “sayang” when it’s used as an expression?

*crickets, crickets*

Okay, let’s get back to each other on that one.

Next: “Hiyang.”

“Hiyang ako sa shampoo ko.”

Many years ago, a shampoo brand used “Hiyang” as its functional benefit. It plays up on an emotional benefit too – there’s that feeling of comfort, trust and even relief. The best word I can think of for hiyang is “compatible.” “My hair is compatible with my shampoo.” It kind of works, but it’s not there yet. It doesn’t capture that comfort zone you’re finally in with your shampoo or whatever  it is you are hiyang to. The word can also be used when describing a lovey-dovey couple.

“Gumaganda kayo ha. Hiyang kayo sa isa’t isa.”

“You two are getting more good-looking! You two are suited for each other.”

Nah. “Suited for” and “compatible” don’t cut it. They’re too functional in nature. I miss the emotion.

How about “naman”?

Naruto: “Ang ganda mo, Hinata.”

Hinata: “Ikaw naman, Naruto.”

There are different ways to translate naman. Naman could mean “your turn”. After singing a few lines at a concert, the band usually tells the audience, “O kayo-kayo naman!” or “It’s your turn!” Then the audience bursts into song. Naman could mean “also”. That works with the concert example too. “You sing also!”

As an expression, it can be used to stress a point. “Ang payat mo naman, Virginia!” could mean “You really are thin, Virginia!”  “Oo naman!” could be “Yes of course!”

In the above imaginary exchange between Naruto and Hinata, the word could be used to take a compliment humbly. “Oh you,” Hinata seems to respond. She could have said “Thank you,” but for those who find it difficult to accept compliments, some go, “Ikaw naman.” The direct translation would be “Your turn”. Perhaps that’s why “ikaw naman” is used to “soften” accepting a compliment. It returns the attention to the person who gave the compliment.

How about “eh”?

“Masarap eh.”

Eh could be used to emphasize a point, or to explain (in two letters) “That’s the reason!” For example, the question is “Why do you like that cupcake?” and the answer  is “Masarap eh.”  One could very well answer with just a simple “Masarap” which means “It’s delicious.” Add an eh and it could mean “It’s delicious and that’s all there is to it.”

Last one: “Lihi.”

During pregnancy, the mother-to-be usually craves for certain foods. Hence when you’re asked “Saan ka pinaglihi?,” it loosely translates to “What did your Mom crave for when she was pregnant with you?” Woah. In English, the nosiness level goes up a lot. In Tagalog, it’s tamer (though still nosy).  But what is that one word that captures lihi? Conception food? Pregnancy cravings? Pregnancy signs? Hmm.

I’m certain there are a lot more Tagalog words that are difficult to translate in English. For now, these are the words that leave me stumped. I think a lot of the difficulty in translating lies in the emotion that another language cannot capture. Language can be very subjective after all. Putting emotions into words is hard enough, what more translating that word into a different language? Naman.

So here’s your assignment. Can you translate the following sentence in English?

“Nakakakilig at nakakagigil ka naman eh!”

Good luck!

Photo: “Chubby Baby” by tenaciousme , c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “Sad ice-cream” by Nicolas Mirguet, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “133/365 - She's Oceans Running Down The Drain, Blue As Ice And Desire” by Helga Weber, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “Compliments” by lyk3on3tym3, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “eh” by Martin Deusch, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “craving [antojo]” by cambiodefractal, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

Toni Tiu’s favourite Tagalog word is kaibigan. While it directly translates to “friend”, she feels that English word doesn’t capture the depth of emotion “kaibigan” has – a shared, reciprocated love. For more musings on life, visit her personal blog at Wifelysteps.com.