Dubai: My Egyptian friend once asked why Filipino words seemed to be amusingly repetitive. We were at a buffet in Karama and she was reading out loud the names of the food on display: Kare-kare, halo-halo, bilo-bilo, sapin-sapin.
"Easy for me to remember," she said with a chuckle.
I told her it's not just the food. Names? We have plenty. Noynoy, Bongbong, Junjun. Places? We have cities called Iloilo and Lapu-Lapu. The list goes on...
Remembering that conversation, I wonder what she'll say when she finds out the Filipino language has also evolved to include reinvented words of the millennium.
In other words (excuse the pun), new slang that may leave anyone above the age of 35 feeling completely ancient or speechless. I'm talking about words that Filipino millennials have coined, like lodi, petmalu, werpa, charot.
Gulf News #Pinoy put Filipino expatriates in the UAE to the test to find out if they know any of these words. Here's how it hilariously went:
Video by Irish Eden Belleza
So you don't feel like a dinosaur, here are 9 Filipino millennial words you should know (and which you can use to impress your Filipino friends).
Lodi
Yup. It is the word "idol" spelled backwards. When you hear someone calling you that, be flattered. It means you're their star.
Petmalu
Here's another Filipino word pronounced in reverse. Petmalu or malupet (the correct spelling is actually malupit) is slang for amazing or cool. For example, Exo's Burj Khalifa show last night was petmalu!
Werpa
This slang word is "power" pronounced in reverse. People use the word werpa to show support. More werpa to you.
Charot
This popular slang word means "just kidding".
Jowa
This means a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Rapsa
This is the word sarap (delicious) pronounced backwards. So when you taste delicious food, say rapsa.
Beshie or bes
This means best friend.
Hokage
Filipino millennials and their anime. This one is apparently inspired by an anime series, and is used to describe "ninja" moves or stealthy moves on another person. It can also be used to describe someone who can do impossible feats.
Repa
This is the word pare (buddy) pronounced backwards. If you're someone's repa, you must be a good friend.
