An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 26 most common Filipino idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Filipino idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, bahala na literally means "it is up to fate now" but is used to mean whatever happens, happens, said when going ahead without knowing the outcome. This free page ranks the 26 most common Filipino idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 26 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
bahala na
Literally it is up to fate now
Means whatever happens, happens, said when going ahead without knowing the outcome
English idiom come what may
Example Bahala na, susubukan ko na lang kahit hindi pa ako handa.
Come what may, I will just try even though I am not ready yet.
Note Bahala means burden or responsibility, and speakers often connect it with Bathala (God). It mixes trust with fatalism, so it can sound either brave or careless.
matigas ang ulo
Literally the head is hard
Means stubborn, refusing to listen to advice
English idiom hard-headed
Example Matigas ang ulo ng anak ko, ayaw makinig kahit kanino.
My son is stubborn, he will not listen to anyone.
utang na loob
Literally debt of the inside
Means a deep moral obligation to repay a kindness or favor received
English idiom a debt of gratitude
Example Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa kanya dahil tinulungan niya ako noong nahihirapan ako.
I owe him a great debt of gratitude because he helped me when I was struggling.
Note This is a core social value in the Philippines, and the obligation it names can last for years.
mainit ang ulo
Literally the head is hot
Means in a bad temper, quick to get angry
English idiom hot-headed
Example Huwag mo muna siyang kausapin, mainit pa ang ulo niya.
Do not talk to him yet, he is still in a bad temper.
makapal ang mukha
Literally the face is thick
Means shameless, with no sense of embarrassment
English idiom to have some nerve
Example Makapal talaga ang mukha niya para humingi na naman ng pera.
He really has some nerve asking for money again.
mababaw ang luha
Literally the tears are shallow
Means crying very easily over small things
English idiom to cry at the drop of a hat
Example Mababaw ang luha ko, umiiyak ako kahit sa mga patalastas.
I cry very easily, even at commercials.
balat-sibuyas
Literally onion skin
Means easily hurt or offended by jokes or criticism
English idiom thin-skinned
Example Huwag kang maging balat-sibuyas, biro lang ang sinabi niya.
Do not be so thin-skinned, what he said was only a joke.
isang kahig, isang tuka
Literally one scratch, one peck
Means earning only enough for each day, with nothing left to save
English idiom living hand to mouth
Example Isang kahig, isang tuka lang ang buhay namin pero masaya kami.
We live hand to mouth, but we are happy.
Note The picture is a chicken that has to scratch the ground for every peck of food it gets.
ningas kugon
Literally a blaze of cogon grass
Means great enthusiasm at the start that dies out just as quickly
English idiom a flash in the pan
Example Ningas kugon lang ang bagong diyeta niya, tatlong araw lang tumagal.
His new diet was a flash in the pan, it only lasted three days.
Note Dried cogon grass catches fire fast and burns out just as fast. Filipinos often apply the phrase to themselves as a national habit, so it usually reads as self-criticism.
magsunog ng kilay
Literally to burn the eyebrows
Means to study very hard, especially late into the night
English idiom to burn the midnight oil
Example Nagsusunog ng kilay si Maria gabi-gabi para makapasa sa pagsusulit.
Maria burns the midnight oil every night so she can pass the exam.
pusong mamon
Literally sponge cake heart
Means softhearted, easily moved to pity
English idiom to be a softie
Example Pusong mamon si Tatay, hindi niya kayang magalit nang matagal.
Dad is a softie, he cannot stay angry for long.
Note Mamon is a light Filipino sponge cake, which is where the image of softness comes from.
mahaba ang dila
Literally the tongue is long
Means gossipy, unable to keep anything to oneself
English idiom to have a big mouth
Example Ingat ka sa kanya, mahaba ang dila niya.
Be careful with her, she has a big mouth.
nagbubuhat ng sariling bangko
Literally lifting one's own bench
Means praising oneself, bragging about one's own achievements
English idiom to toot one's own horn
Example Nagbubuhat na naman siya ng sariling bangko sa harap ng mga bisita.
He is tooting his own horn again in front of the guests.
sirang plaka
Literally broken record
Means someone who keeps repeating the same thing over and over
English idiom a broken record
Example Parang sirang plaka si Nanay, paulit-ulit ang sermon niya.
Mom is like a broken record, she repeats the same lecture over and over.
namamangka sa dalawang ilog
Literally paddling a boat in two rivers
Means keeping two romantic partners at the same time
English idiom two-timing
Example Nalaman niyang namamangka pala sa dalawang ilog ang nobyo niya.
She found out that her boyfriend was two-timing her.
Note It is also said of politicians who back two parties at once.
butas ang bulsa
Literally the pocket has a hole
Means broke, with no money left after spending it all
English idiom strapped for cash
Example Butas talaga ang bulsa ko, kararating ko lang galing sa bakasyon.
I am really strapped for cash, I just got back from a vacation.
bulaklak ng dila
Literally flower of the tongue
Means flattering or exaggerated words with little sincerity behind them
English idiom sweet talk
Example Huwag kang maniwala sa bulaklak ng dila niya.
Do not believe his sweet talk.
bukas ang palad
Literally the palm is open
Means generous, always ready to give and to help
English idiom open-handed
Example Bukas ang palad niya, lagi siyang tumutulong sa mga nangangailangan.
He is open-handed, he always helps those in need.
kapit sa patalim
Literally clinging to the blade
Means taking a dangerous, desperate step because there is no other way out
Example Kapit sa patalim na lang kami para mapaaral ang mga anak namin.
We had no choice but to take that risk so we could keep our children in school.
Note It comes from the saying Ang taong nagigipit, sa patalim kumakapit (a person in dire straits will grab even a blade), and it usually points to poverty or work taken out of sheer need.
may gatas pa sa labi
Literally still has milk on the lips
Means still young and inexperienced
English idiom still wet behind the ears
Example May gatas pa sa labi niyan, huwag mo munang bigyan ng ganyang trabaho.
He is still wet behind the ears, do not give him that kind of job yet.
Note It sounds dismissive, so people say it about someone rather than to their face.
ilaw ng tahanan
Literally light of the home
Means the mother of the family, seen as the one who keeps the household together
Example Si Nanay ang ilaw ng tahanan namin.
Mom is the light of our home.
Note Its counterpart is haligi ng tahanan (pillar of the home), meaning the father, and both turn up in speeches and school lessons.
halang ang bituka
Literally the intestines lie crosswise
Means ruthless, capable of doing anything cruel
English idiom to stop at nothing
Example Halang ang bituka ng mga taong iyon, kaya nilang manakit para sa pera.
Those people stop at nothing, they are capable of hurting someone for money.
malaki ang bunganga
Literally the mouth is big
Means loud and boastful, with little to show for it
English idiom all talk and no action
Example Malaki lang ang bunganga niya pero wala namang nagagawa.
He is all talk and no action, he never gets anything done.
Note Bunganga is a coarse word for mouth, normally used for animals, so this lands as an insult.
puno't dulo
Literally beginning and end
Means the whole story of something, from what caused it to how it turned out
English idiom the ins and outs
Example Sabihin mo sa akin ang buong puno't dulo ng pangyayari.
Tell me the ins and outs of what happened.
nasa dulo ng dila
Literally it is at the tip of the tongue
Means almost remembered but not quite coming out
English idiom on the tip of one's tongue
Example Alam ko ang pangalan niya, nasa dulo na ng dila ko.
I know his name, it is on the tip of my tongue.
nagbibilang ng poste
Literally counting the posts
Means out of work and idling around with nothing to do
Example Anim na buwan na siyang nagbibilang ng poste mula nang matanggal sa trabaho.
He has been jobless and idle for six months since he was let go.
Note The picture is someone walking the streets with nothing to do, so it sounds slightly mocking.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Bahala na comes out as "it is up to fate now", which makes no sense until you know it means whatever happens, happens, said when going ahead without knowing the outcome.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Filipino sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Filipino idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with bahala na, matigas ang ulo, utang na loob, mainit ang ulo, makapal ang mukha. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 26 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Filipino, "bahala na" translates literally as "it is up to fate now", but it actually means whatever happens, happens, said when going ahead without knowing the outcome. The closest English idiom is "come what may". Example: Bahala na, susubukan ko na lang kahit hindi pa ako handa. ("Come what may, I will just try even though I am not ready yet.")
The Filipino equivalent is "bahala na", literally "it is up to fate now". Example: Bahala na, susubukan ko na lang kahit hindi pa ako handa. ("Come what may, I will just try even though I am not ready yet.")
In Filipino, an idiom is called sawikain, and a proverb is salawikain. A sawikain (also called idyoma) is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be guessed from the separate words, while a salawikain is a traditional saying that carries advice or a moral lesson.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Bahala na translates literally as "it is up to fate now", yet it means whatever happens, happens, said when going ahead without knowing the outcome. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Filipino with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.