Bikol phrasebook
Photo: Roel Balingit, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Bikol is the main local language of the Bicol Region in southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It is strongly influenced by Spanish.
Belonging to the Austronesian family of languages, it is closely related to all the other languages in the Philippines like the larger Ilocano, Tagalog and Cebuano and more distantly to the various languages of the Pacific islands.
Malay, the main language of Malaysia, is also closely related to Bikol, and while the two languages are not mutually intelligible, you will notice many cognates. There are also numerous false friends between Bikol and Malay, such as Malay pagi (morning) vs Bikol pagi (sting ray) and Bikol ayam (dog) vs Malay ayam (chicken).
Pronunciation guideDiacritics (tandang panduon) are normally not written in everyday usage, be it in publications or personal correspondence.
GrammarNote that Bikol has two words which are equivalent to the English word we. If you intend to include the person or people you are talking to, the word to use is kita.
Phrase listThis article concentrates on the most common variety spoken in Naga and Legazpi.
Learning more
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Bikol phrasebook" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Roel Balingit, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons