The latest quarterly update of the Oxford English Dictionary has added several Filipino words, including gigil, lumpia, Pinoy, and eight others, to its list of “untranslatable words.” The OED defines these words as those that have been lexicalized in one language but not in others, making them particularly intriguing.
The OED noted in its March 2025 update, “After all, wouldn’t it be useful for English speakers to have a specific word for sunlight dappling through leaves, just like Japanese speakers do? Or a particular word for the act of sitting outside and enjoying a beer, similar to what Norwegians have?”
Other words from around the world were also included in this update, such as yoh (an interjection from South Africa), debs (a social event for secondary school students from Ireland), and alamak (an exclamation from Singapore and Malaysia).
According to the OED, gigil is frequently listed among untranslatable words and has been used in Philippine English since 1990. The OED describes gigil as “the intense feeling we get when we see someone or something cute—so overwhelming that it gives us the irresistible urge to clench our hands tightly, grit our teeth, and pinch or squeeze whatever or whoever we find adorable, whether it’s a chubby-cheeked baby or a fluffy kitten.” The OED adds, “So, if a Filipino says they’re ‘gigil,’ they’re simply dealing with overwhelming feelings, usually positive.”
Another earlier addition from Filipino culture is salakot, a lightweight, domed or conical hat with a wide brim, traditionally worn by farmers for protection against the sun. The hat, often featuring a spiked or ornamental finial at the crown, has become a symbol of Filipino culture and is now part of traditional Filipino attire worn during festivals and celebrations. The shape of the salakot is mirrored by kababayan a small, sweet, yellow cake similar to a muffin, which is commonly found in Filipino neighborhood bakeries.
Pinoy also made its way into the latest update, now listed as a noun.
The OED’s new batch of untranslatable words from the Philippines includes lumpia (a food whose name was likely borrowed from Tagalog, as well as Malay, Indonesian, and possibly Dutch); videoke (the Filipino version of Japan’s karaoke); sando (a sleeveless undergarment worn instead of a shirt); load (referring to mobile phone credit); CR (short for comfort room); terror (referring to a strict, harsh, and demanding teacher); and Thomasites (American teachers who came to the Philippines during the early part of the U.S. occupation).
