kaliwaan
The English word "cash" can be translated into Tagalog as kaliwaan or salaping hawak.
Meaning: money in the form of notes/bills and coins (noun)
Ways to say it
| Tagalog |
|---|
| kaliwaan |
| salaping hawak |
The term refers to money in the form of physical notes, bills and coins. In casual conversation, Filipinos often use the Spanish-derived word pera to refer to cash or money in general.
Did you know?
- In some rural areas, the concept of cash is bypassed by barter, but the term kaliwaan is still used to describe the immediate, no-debt nature of the trade.
- When using the phrase salaping hawak, the word hawak literally means 'to hold', making the phrase translate conceptually to 'money held in hand'.
- Filipinos often use the phrase barya specifically for coins or small change, and asking for barya is a common social ritual when paying for public transport.
Examples in context
- Bumili ka gamit ang kwarta.Buy using cash.
Example conversation
Angela and Jose are deciding how to pay for a snack.
- AngelaJose, may kaliwaan ka ba?Jose, do you have cash?
- JoseWala ako, Angela. Gcash lang.I don't, Angela. Only Gcash.
- AngelaSige, kaliwaan na lang ako.Okay, I'll just use cash.
- JoseSalamat, babayaran kita mamaya.Thanks, I will pay you back later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cash” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
