gwapo
/ˈɡwapo/
The Filipino word for handsome or good-looking is pogi.
The term pogi is used to describe a man who is physically attractive. In modern Filipino slang, you may also encounter the phrase pogi points, which refers to actions or behaviors that increase a person's attractiveness or social favor.
Which one should you use?
While both pogi and gwapo mean handsome or good-looking, pogi is more colloquial and informal. Gwapo is a loanword from Spanish and is often perceived as slightly more formal or standard than pogi.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify pogi to change its intensity. Adding the prefix napaka- results in napakapogi, which means very handsome. To express the superlative degree, use the prefix pinaka- to form pinakapogi, meaning the most handsome. You can also use the intensified form Poging-pogi to emphasize extreme handsomeness.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡwapo/
Did you know?
- While pogi is for men, the female equivalent ganda is sometimes used ironically for men in very specific LGBTQ+ slang contexts to denote a different kind of beauty.
- The concept of being pogi is often linked to the 'mestizo' ideal, which historically favored features from Spanish or American ancestry.
- The Filipino language uses 'reduplication' in poging-pogi to intensify meaning, a linguistic feature where repeating a word changes its grammatical intensity.
Examples in context
- Grabe, gwapo talaga ni Juan!Wow, Juan is really handsome!
- Ang kagwapuhan mo ay napakaimpressive!Your handsomeness is very impressive!
- Ang gwapo ng kapatid mo.Your brother is handsome.
- Gwapo siya sa suot niyang barong.He looks handsome in the barong he is wearing.
- Sino ang gwapo na lalaki doon?Who is the handsome man over there?
Example conversation
Maria and Jose are looking at a photo of a celebrity.
- MariaNapakagwapo ng aktor na ito!This actor is so handsome!
- JoseOo, talaga namang gwapo siya.Yes, he really is handsome.
- MariaBagay sa kanya ang maikling buhok.Short hair suits him.
- JoseTama ka, mas gwapo siya ngayon.You're right, he is more handsome now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gwapo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
