hapunan
/haˈpunan/
The Tagalog word for dinner is hapunan.
hapunan is the most common and general term used to refer to the evening meal. You may also encounter the verb form maghapunan, which refers to the act of eating dinner together.
Meaning: evening meal (noun)
Which one should you use?
While hapunan is the standard word for dinner, you may see panghapunan used in more formal or written contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of having dinner, you can use the verb maghapunan.
How do you pronounce it?
/haˈpunan/
Did you know?
- During certain festivities, the hapunan may be served as a 'Boodle Fight', where food is spread across banana leaves and eaten with hands instead of utensils.
- It is a common custom in Filipino households to invite anyone who happens to be visiting during hapunan to join the meal, even if they are strangers.
- The word hapunan is built from the root word hapon, which also means 'afternoon'.
Examples in context
- Anong oras isisilbi ang hapunan?What time will dinner be served?This sentence is useful for asking about the time the hapunan will be served.Tatoeba #8650144 by England, translation #324628 by CK
- Baka mahuli ako para sa hapunan.I might be late for dinner.This sentence is useful for stating that one might be late for hapunan.Tatoeba #11806396 by qwertzu, translation #2952347 by CK
- Di pa nagluto ng hapunan si Maria.Mary hasn't cooked the dinner yet.This sentence is useful for noting that someone has not yet cooked the hapunan.Tatoeba #1870406 by nonong, translation #1742741 by Amastan
- Halina't magsalu-salo tayo mamaya sa hapunan!Let's all gather for a meal later at dinnertime!
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is discussing their plans for the evening at home.
- ChristinaRicardo, anong oras ang hapunan?Ricardo, what time is dinner?
- RicardoMga alas-sais na, Christina.It's at around six, Christina.
- ChristinaSige, maghahanda na ako.Okay, I will prepare now.
- RicardoSalamat, lulutuin ko na rin ang kanin.Thanks, I will cook the rice too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinner” translations and entries hapunan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hapunan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
