asawa
/ʔaˈsawa/
asawa is the Ilocano word for spouse, referring to a person's husband or wife.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔaˈsawa/
Did you know?
- The word asawa descends from the Proto-Austronesian root *qasawa, linking it to languages spoken as far away as Madagascar and Taiwan.
- While asawa is gender-neutral, an Ilocano speaker might use it as a term of endearment in a way that mirrors 'darling' or 'honey' in English.
- In many Austronesian-speaking cultures, the word asawa is gender-neutral, meaning it describes the concept of a partner rather than specifying a 'husband' or a 'wife'.
Examples in context
- Siya ti asawa ni Juan.She is Juan's spouse.
- Nalinteg ti asawa ni Pedro.Pedro's spouse is upright.
- Napan ti asawa na idi kalman.His spouse went somewhere yesterday.
Example conversation
Maria and Antonio are talking about their family members at a gathering.
- MariaNanganen ti asawa yo, Antonio?Has your spouse eaten already, Antonio?
- AntonioWen, Maria, nanganen isuna.Yes, Maria, she has eaten.
- MariaNapintas ti asawa yo.Your spouse is beautiful.
- AntonioAgyamanak unay.Thank you very much.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry asawa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries asawa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
