pika
The Filipino word for tattoo is pika. Wiktionary also lists tato.
Meaning: an image made in the skin with ink and a needle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Filipino | IPA |
|---|---|
| pika | |
| tato | /taˈtoʔ/ (Standard Tagalog) |
The term refers to an image made in the skin using ink and a needle.
Which one should you use?
pika is the default form, while tato is an alternative form used to mean the same thing.
Did you know?
- In some Philippine indigenous cultures, certain tattoo patterns were believed to act as spiritual armor that protected the wearer in the afterlife.
- The most famous practitioner of batok is Apo Whang-od, the oldest living traditional tattoo artist in the Philippines who uses a thorn from a pomelo tree.
- Spanish colonizers referred to the tattooed indigenous people of the Visayas as Pintados because their bodies appeared to be painted.
Examples in context
- May tato si Tom sa kanyang galanggalangan.Tom has a tattoo on his wrist.This sentence shows how to use tato when describing someone having a tattoo on a specific body part.Tatoeba #11743387 by qwertzu, translation #5374950 by CK
- Ang ganda ng mga tats mo!Your tattoos look great!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Angela and Juan are talking about body art.
- AngelaJuan, kailan mo nakuha ang pika na iyan?Juan, when did you get that tattoo?
- JuanNakuha ko ito noong nakaraang taon.I got it last year.
- AngelaSino ang gumawa nito para sa iyo?Who did this for you?
- JuanIsang magaling na artista ang gumawa nito.A talented artist made it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tattoo” translations and entries tato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
