Common Filipino Medical Terms
We’re almost done with the wet season, yet it’s not the time to relax about your health. People may still come down with lagnat or go to work even if they have sipon. Other times, you’ll hear them say “Ngalay na ako” or “Masakit ang likod ko” after sitting in the office all day long.
PAY A VISIT TO YOUR ‘MANGGAGAMOT’ REGULARLY. It’s near the end of the wet season, but that doesn’t mean we can relax about our health. (Image from healthway.com.ph via Positively Filipino)
To make sense of all of these, here are a few medical terms to help you out (including the ones we just mentioned):
Ngalay – numb. Often felt by our more senior associates, it also occurs in the younger generation if they’ve been stuck in one position for too long.
Masakit – painful. Again, this one’s self explanatory. It’s not to be confused with
May sakit – is ill. It’s what we Filipinos say when we’re sick, regardless if we know what it is or not. Oftentimes, we go to our
Doktor/Duktor/Manggagamot – doctor for a check-up. After that, we get a
Reseta – medical prescription. This, of course, contains a list of
Gamot – medicine we will take for whatever illness we may have, the most common of which is
Trangkaso – flu, especially if you work long hours outdoors where conditions can change so quick you won’t have time to blink. It’s symptoms are often a combination of body pains with
Lagnat – fever. This one’s simple enough to understand. It’s often accompanied by
Sipon – colds. A common wet season sickness, people often choose to go to work even if they have a cold. They usually carrying a pack of tissues to wipe off their
Uhog – running phlegm. Inuuhog, on the other hand, is the term we Filipinos use for a runny nose, and its “brother” is
Ubo – cough. No need to explain this one, right?
Arm yourselves with these terms so that next time your Filipino friend says “May sakit ako, eh” you can ask them “Anong sakit mo?” followed by “Gusto mo dalhin na kita sa manggagamot?”
Source: Tagalog Lang, Fil Am I Am, Tagalog Terminologies
