awan
/ʔaˈwan/
The Ilocano word for "nothing" is awan.
Awan is used to express that there is no thing, that something is absent or that something does not exist. You can use the single word Awan as a complete sentence to mean "Nothing" or "There is none" when responding to questions about whether something exists or is possessed.
Meaning: not any thing (pron)
Which one should you use?
Awan is specifically used to denote the absence or non-existence of something. In contrast, the word saan is used to negate an action or a quality (meaning "no" or "not").
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to express that nothing exists or is present, awan is often followed by the particle ti before the noun (e.g., awan ti…).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔaˈwan/
Did you know?
- Because awan denotes non-existence, using it to answer a question about a person can sound as if you are claiming the person does not exist in the world.
- Using the word awan on its own to answer a question can be perceived as socially blunt or even dismissive depending on the tone.
- When someone asks if you possess an item, answering awan logically changes the sentence from 'I don't have it' to 'it does not exist'.
Examples in context
- No siak la a maysa, awan ti reklamok.As for me, I have nothing to complain of.Tatoeba #4649988 by saluyot, translation #255149 by CM
- Awan ti rumbeng nga idawatak iti pammakawan.I have nothing to apologize for.Tatoeba #4664634 by saluyot, translation #4667393 by saluyot
- Awan ti napasamak.Nothing happened.Tatoeba #4952374 by jyarold, translation #24616 by CK
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manuel asks Maria if she needs anything from the store.
- MariaManuel, adda kadi kayatmo?Manuel, do you want anything?
- ManuelAwan, Maria. Salamat.Nothing, Maria. Thanks.
- MariaSigurado ka? Awan ti maysa a banag?Are you sure? Not even one thing?
- ManuelWen, awan talaga.Yes, there is really nothing.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry awan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
