manok
/maˈnok/
The Filipino word for chicken is manok.
While manok primarily refers to the bird, in colloquial Filipino it is also used to describe a person's 'bet' or favorite in a competition or even a romantic interest. Additionally, the term manukan refers to a place where chickens are kept, such as a chicken coop or a poultry farm.
Meaning: bird (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Bisaya/Cebuano language, Manok is the equivalent of the Tagalog word for chicken.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈnok/
Did you know?
- The colloquial use of manok to mean a 'favorite' is actually rooted in the culture of cockfighting, where one picks a specific gamecock to bet on.
- Because manok descends from the Proto-Austronesian word *manuk, it is shared across many languages in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including Malay and Samoan.
- In the Philippines, the 'betting' meaning of manok is often used in beauty pageants or singing competitions to declare who you think will win.
Examples in context
- Bumili siya ng manok.She bought a chicken.This sentence is useful for learning how to say someone bought a chicken using manok.Tatoeba #8635365 by artemio, translation #312081 by CK
- Napakalambot ng manok na ito.This chicken is very tender.This sentence is useful for describing the tenderness of chicken using manok.Tatoeba #11788869 by qwertzu, translation #7978579 by CK
- Nangitlog ang manok nitong umaga.The chicken laid an egg this morning.This sentence is useful for stating that a chicken laid an egg using manok.Tatoeba #1848443 by nonong, translation #35864 by CK
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juan and Angela are looking at animals in a farm.
- JuanTingnan mo ang manok na iyon.Look at that chicken.
- AngelaAng ganda ng kulay niya, Juan.Its color is beautiful, Juan.
- JuanGusto mo bang pakainin ang manok?Do you want to feed the chicken?
- AngelaOo, gusto ko iyan.Yes, I want to do that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chicken” translations and entries manok, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries manok, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
