panghimagas
/paŋhiˈmaɡas/
The Filipino word for dessert is panghimagas.
Panghimagas refers to a sweet confection served as the last course of a meal.
Meaning: sweet confection served as the last course of a meal (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from the root himagas, which refers to something consumed after a meal to cleanse the palate or satisfy a sweet craving.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal Filipino, panghimagas is the common term. However, in casual conversation, many Filipinos use the English word 'dessert' instead of panghimagas.
How does it change in a sentence?
Panghimagas is an invariant noun and does not change its form to indicate plurality. Plurality is instead indicated by context or quantifiers like mga.
How do you pronounce it?
/paŋhiˈmaɡas/
Did you know?
- The term panghimagas descends from a Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root, linking the Filipino concept of a course-ending food to languages across the Pacific.
- In the Philippines, a popular panghimagas is halo-halo, which literally means 'mix-mix' and contains a variety of colorful ingredients.
- While panghimagas implies something sweet today, the root himagas historically referred to any food, such as sliced fruit or nuts, used to cleanse the palate after a meal.
Examples in context
- Ano ang paborito niyang panghimagas?What's her favorite dessert?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's favorite dessert using panghimagas.Tatoeba #11924585 by qwertzu, translation #11924568 by qwertzu
- Ano ang paboritong panghimagas ni Tom?What's Tom's favorite dessert?This sentence is useful for asking about Tom's favorite dessert using panghimagas.Tatoeba #11924746 by qwertzu, translation #9979392 by CK
- Naghain ng mansanas bilang panghimagas.Apples were served as the dessert.This sentence is useful for describing how apples were served as a dessert using panghimagas.Tatoeba #13876919 by qwertzu, translation #39479 by CK
- Ang panghimagas na handog natin ngayon ay ang leche flan.The dessert we have today is leche flan.
- Tara, kain tayo ng kakanin bukas!Let's eat some kakanin tomorrow!
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Jose are finishing their dinner.
- MariaGusto mo ba ng panghimagas?Do you want some dessert?
- JoseOo, ano ang mayroon tayo?Yes, what do we have?
- MariaMayroon tayong slice ng cake.We have a slice of cake.
- JoseSige, gusto ko niyan.Okay, I want that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dessert” translations and entries panghimagas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries panghimagas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
