hamster
/ˈhamsteɾ/
In Filipino, the English word hamster is used to refer to the rodent species belonging to the Cricetinae.
Meaning: rodent species belonging to the Cricetinae (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈhamsteɾ/.
Did you know?
- In the Philippines, people sometimes use the general term daga, meaning 'rat' or 'mouse', to describe a hamster if they are not using the English loanword.
- In some highly localized dialects or provinces, the specific English term 'hamster' might be completely unrecognizable to older generations who grew up without Western pet trends.
- The word hamster is part of a linguistic trend in the Philippines called 'Taglish', where English nouns are inserted into Filipino sentence structures without changing their form.
Examples in context
- Mayroon siyang alagang hamster.She has a pet hamster.
- Ang hamster ay mabilis tumakbo.The hamster runs fast.
- Bumili ako ng bagong hamster.I bought a new hamster.
Example conversation
Jose and Patricia are looking at a pet store window.
- JoseAng cute ng hamster na iyon!That hamster is so cute!
- PatriciaOo, gusto ko ring magkaroon ng hamster.Yes, I also want to have a hamster.
- JoseGusto mo ba ng kulay puti?Do you want a white one?
- PatriciaOo, mas gusto ko ang puting hamster.Yes, I prefer a white hamster.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hamster” translations and entries hamster, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
