FILIPINO CONSTRUCTION TERMS
Raison John Bassig - YouTube
PART 1 – Construction Personnel
1. Arkitekto – architect (arquitecto)
2. Inhinyero – engineer (ingeniero)
3. Kontratista – contractor (contratista)
4. Kapatas – foreman (capataz)
5. Karpentero – carpenter (carpintero)
6. Kantero – mason (canter)
7. Latero – roofer (latero)
8. Soldador – welder (soldador)
PART 2 – Measurement and quantity
1. Metro – meter or steel tape measure
(metro)
2. Piye – foot (pie)
3. Pulgada – inch (pulgada)
4. Medya – half an inch (media)
5. De uno (dos, tres,…) – nominal size of
material in inches
6. Siro-siro – exact (cero)
7. Damak – handbreadth (4 inches)
(damak)
8. Dangkal – span (7-8 inches) (dangkal)
9. Bisig – forearm (14-16 inches) (bisig)
10. Dipa – fathom (5-6 feet) (dipa)
PART 3 – Tools and equipment
1. Lebel – spirit or hose level (level)
2. Hulog – plumb bob (hulog)
3. Eskwala – framing square (escuadra)
4. Pala – shovel (pala)
5. Piko – pickaxe (pico)
6. Piketa – brick hammer (small pickaxe
for masonry works) (piqueta)
7. Rodela – float (rodela)
8. Kutsara – masonry trowel (cuchara)
9. Sinsil – cold or bull-point chisel (cincel)
9. Elektrisyan – electrician (electrician)
10. Tubero – plumber (tuberia)
11. Pintor – painter (pintor)
12. Pagador – paymaster (pagador)
13. Bodegero – warehouseman
(bodeguero)
14. Piyon – laborer (peon)
11. Baytang – step (baiting)
12. Grado – gradient (grado)
13. Palapag – storey or floor (palapag)
14. Patong – layer or coat (patong)
15. Porsyento – percentage or percent
(porcentaje or porciento)
16. Timplada – mixture (timpla)
17. Ektarya – hectare (hectarea)
18. Metro kwadrado – square meter (metro
cuadrado)
19. Metro kubiko – cubic meter (metro
cubico)
20. Bultuhan – by volume (bulto)
10. Bareta de kabra – crowbar or prybar
(barreta de cabria)
11. Barena – drill (barrena)
12. Malyete – mallet (mazo)
13. Maso – sledgehammer (mazo)
14. Martilyo – hammer (martillo)
15. Punsol – punch or nailset (punzon)
16. Pitik – chalk line reel (pitik)
17. Lagari – saw (lagari)
18. Lagaring bakal – hack saw (lagari bakal)
 19. Pait – wood chisel (pait)
20. Katam – planer (katam)
21. Torno – router or lathe (torno)
22. Distornilyador – screwdriver
(destornillador)
23. Liyabe – wrench (llave)
PART 4 – Building materials
1. Buhos – concrete (buhos)
2. Semento – cement (cemento)
3. Buhangin – sand (buhangin)
4. Graba – gravel (grava)
5. Grabita – pea gravel (grava ita)
6. Bistay – fine sifted sand (bistay)
7. Agramasa – mortar (agramasa)
8. Piedra – stone or rock (piedra)
9. Asero – steel (asero)
10. Yero – iron (hierro)
11. Pundido – cast iron (fundido)
12. Kobre – copper (cobre)
13. Tingga – lead (tingga)
14. Tumbaga – brass (tembaga)
15. Asoleho – glazed or wainscoting tile
(azulejo)
PART 5 – Spaces and building materials
1. Kuwarto – room (cuarto)
2. Entrada – porch/foyer or entrance
(entrada)
3. Sala – living room (sala)
4. Komedor – dining room (comedor)
5. Kusina – kitchen (cocina)
6. Batalan – rear porch (service area)
(batalan)
7. Banyo – bathroom (bano)
8. Pasilyo – hallway (pasillo)
9. Entresuelo – mezzanine (entresuelo)
10. Asoteya – terrace (azotea)
11. Balkonahe – balcony (balconaje/balcon)
12. Garahe – garage (garaje)
13. Hardin – garden (jardin)
24. Gato – vise or clamp (gato)
25. Plais- pliers (pliers)
26. Paleta – putty balde or scraper (no
handle) (paleta)
27. Pinsel – paintbrush (pincel)
16. Baldosa – floor tile or stone paver
(baldosa)
17. Ladrilyo – brick (ladrillo)
18. Madera – wood or timber/lumber
(madera)
19. Pormika – laminate (formica)
20. Hardipleks – fiber-cement board
(hardieflex)
21. Alkitran – tar (for asphalting) (alquitran)
22. Estopa – oakum (estopa)
23. Kugon – thatch (cogon)
24. Lana – wool (lana)
25. Lona – tarpaulin (lona)
26. Alpombra – carpet (alfombra)
27. Binil – vinyl (vinyl)
28. Escombro – filling material (escombro)
14. Atip – roof covering or material (atip)
15. Kuwatro aguas – hip roof (cuatro agua)
16. Dos aguas – gable roof (dos agua)
17. Medya agua – awning or canopy (media
agua)
18. Sibe – lean-to or shed-type roof (sibi)
19. Bolada – projection or overhang
(volado/volar)
20. Alero – eaves (alero)
21. Senepa – fascia board (cenefa)
22. Pinto – door (pinto)
23. Bintana – window (ventana)
24. Escalera – stairs or ladder (escalera)
25. Pader – wall (pared)
26. Suelo – flooring (suelo)
 27. Kisame – ceiling (kisa)

PART 6 – Structural framing Links to an external site

1. Balangkas – framework or framing 14. Gililan – girder (gilid)

(balangkas)
2. Balantok – arch (balantok)
3. Bobida – dome (boveda)
4. Haligi – column or post (haligi)
5. Biga – beam (viga)
6. Dintel – lintel (dintel)
7. Sumbrero – header (of a window or
door) (sombrero)
8. Hamba – jamb (of a window or door)
(jamba)
9. Pasamano – window sill or handrail
(pasamano)
10. Trabisanyo – transom or crossbeam
(travesano)
11. Pilarete – vertical stud (filarete)
12. Pabalagbag – horizontal stud
(balagbag)
13. Sepo – girt or sheeting rail (cepo)
15. Suleras – floor joists (solera)
16. Kostilyahe – ceiling joists
(costilla/costillakje)
17. Kilo – rafter or roof truss (quilla)
18. Sinturon – collar tie (cinturon)
19. Tahilan – top chord or rafter (tahilan)
20. Barakilan – bottom chord or rafter tie
(barakilan)
21. Tirante – strut or achor/brace (tirante)
22. Piye de galyo – brace (diagonal +
vertical) (pie gallo)
23. Pednulo – king post (of a truss)
(pendulo)
24. Taknang – queen post (of a truss)
(taknang)
25. Kabalyete – ridge (of a roof) (caballete)
26. Reostra – purlin (riostra)

PART 7 – Layout and arrangement

1. Plano – blueprint or plan (plano) 15. Malukong – concave or hollow/bowl-

2. Krokis – sketch (croquis) shapes (lukong)
3. Muestra – sample (muestra) 16. Paikid – spiral (ikid)
4. Plantilya – template or pattern 17. Tantsahin – to estimate (tantear)
(plantilla) 18. Ikasa – to install (casar)
5. Asintahin – to erect a wall or to align 19. Rekta – directly (directamente)
(asentar) 20. Alahado – flushed or along the same
6. Hulugan – to align vertically (hulog) plane (allanado)
7. Lebelan – to align horizontally (level) 21. Nitso – recess or alcove (nicho)
8. Pitikan – to mark a straight line (pitik) 22. Risalte – offset or embossed (resaltar)
9. Eskwalado – perpendicular or squared 23. Bahada – downslope (bajada)
(escuadrar or escuadra) 24. Biyento – gape or spacing (viento)
10. Kahanay – parallel (hanay) 25. Unosinotra – alternate or staggered
11. Tumbok – to form a junction or (uno-sin-otra)
connection (tumbok) 26. Retaso – excess/remaining cut material
12. Kanto – corner or edge (canto) (retazo)
13. Kilikili – inside corner (kilikili) 27. Seroho – wastage from materials cut
14. Matambok – convex or hump (umbok) (sereho / ciruja)
PART 8 – Earthworks and site staging

1. Agrimensura – surveying (agrimensura) 14. Idiskarga – to unload (descarga)

2. Muhon – lot boundary marker (mojon) 15. Buweltahan – driveway space for
3. Estaka – stake or peg (estaca) vehicle maneuvering (vuelta)
4. Tansi – nylon string (shengzi) 16. Gruha – crane (grua)
5. Mano-mano – manually (a mano) 17. Kalo – pulley (kalo)
6. Hukay – excavation (hukay) 18. Karetilya – wheelbarrow (carretilla)
7. Pundasyon – foundation (fundacion) 19. Rampa – ramp (ramap)
8. Pilote – pile or stilt (pilote) 20. Andamyo – scaffolding (andamio)
9. Trintsera – trench or ditch (trinchera) 21. Plantsa – plank or plate (plancha)
10. Damtrak – dump truck (dump truck) 22. Imbakan – storage area (imbak)
11. Tambakan – to fill the ground (tambak) 23. Tarima – pallet or low platform (tarima)
12. Patagin – to flatten (patag) 24. Salsanin – to stack/store in a tidy
13. Pison – compacter/wheel roller (pison / manner (salansan)
pisoton)

PART 9 – Reinforced concrete and masonry

1. Kabilya – reinforcing bar or rebar 11. Halo – concrete mix/proportion (halo)

(cabillo) 12. Larga masa – concrete slab (largo masa)
2. Anilyo – tie or closed stirrup (anillo) 13. Baklasin – to strip or to remove (baklas)
3. Parilya – footing/slab (parrilla) 14. Asinta – masonry wall (asentar)
4. Abang – rebar dowel or rough-in/pipe 15. Kosturada – mortar joint/course
sleeve (abang) (costura)
5. Bali – bend or offset (balikuko) 16. Letsada – grout (lechada)
6. Kawit – hook or bend (kwait) 17. Lastilyas – masonry filling materials (la
7. Empalme – splice or joint (empalme) sillar / trillas)
8. Porma – form or formwork (forma) 18. Pambistay – sleeve or sifter (bistay)
9. Tukuran – to prop up or to support 19. Palitada – plastering/stucco (paleta)
below (tukod) 20. Rebokada – scratch coat plaster
10. Sapatos – concrete cover spacer (revocar / rebozar)
(zapato) 21. Puro – pure cement (plaster) (puo)
PART 10 – Plumbing and drainage

1. Kuntador – meter (contador) 17. Balon – well (water supply) (balon)

2. Tubo – tube or pipe (tubo) 18. Bomba – pump (bomba)
3. Subyente – riser pipe (subiente) 19. Poso – hand water well pump (pozo)
4. Bahante – drain pipe/stack or 20. Poso negro – septic tank or cesspool
downspout (balajante / bajada) (pozo negro)
5. Desagwe – drain outlet or drain pipe 21. Alkantarilya – sewerage or sewer
(desague) (alcantarilla)
6. Lababo – lavatory or wash basin 22. Alulod – gutter(roof) or conductor
(lavabo) (alulod)
7. Gripo – faucet or sill cock/bibb (grifo) 23. Bambang – ditch or open trench drain
8. Inidoro – water closet (toilet bowl) (bambang)
(inodoro) 24. Klebe – slope or inclination (declive)
9. Arinola – urinal (orinal) 25. De roskas – threaded (rosca)
10. Banyera – bathtub (banera) 26. De reborde – flanged (reborde)
11. Dutsa – shower (ducha) 27. Teplon – Teflon tape
12. Prigadero – sink or kitchen basin 28. Recodo – elbow or turn (recodo)
(fregadero) 29. Sapatilya – gasket/washer or shim
13. Bidey – bidet sprayer (bidet) (zapatilla)
14. Manggera – hose (manguera) 30. Tapon – plug/stopper or cap/cover
15. Balbula – valve (valvula) (tapon)
16. Alhibe – cistern or tank (water storage)
(aljibe)

31. Poso negro – septic tank or cesspool 32. Alkantarilya – sewerage or sewer
(pozo negro) (alcantarilla)
33. Alulod – gutter(roof) or conductor
(alulod)
34. Bambang – ditch or open trench drain
(Bambang)
35. Klebe – slope or inclination (declive)
36. De roskas – threaded (rosca)
37. De reborde – flanged (reborde)
38. Teplon – Teflon tape
39. Recodo – elbow or turn (recodo)
40. Sapatilya – gasket/washer or shim
(zapatilla)
41. Tapon – plug/stopper or cap/cover
(tapon)