The Tagalog word for Alden Richards’ dimples is ‘biloy’ and other things we learned from Wikapedia


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This is hands down the best thing that’s ever happened to the Filipino language in the past year.

Wikapedia, a Facebook page created and maintained by the government, is doing a great job reaching out to people on social media and sharing trivias about our native tongue.

It does that by posting shareable infographics and keeping a finger on the pulse of the city.

To illustrate the Filipino word for dimples, it featured a sketch drawing of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza. “Yung nasa mga pisngi ni Alden,” it said. The word you’re looking for? Biloy.

It’s also traced the origins of colloquial expressions like “apir” (Up here!) and “tambay” (stand by), and translated “kabiyak” (soulmate) and “jeproks” (spoiled brat). 

It’s like Filipino 101, except it’s cooler and there’s no final exams.

Wikapedia started as a special month-long project for the Buwan ng Wika last Aug 2014.

“We would be teaching correct usage of Filipino online by using infographics and non-technical explanations that can be easily understood by everyone,” explains assistant editor Tyron Casumpang. “Our first post was about NG at NANG, which went viral during that time.”

The posts on the Official Gazette Facebook page became popular, so Undersecretary Manolo Quezon allowed the project to continue long after the Buwan ng Wika was over.

A new Facebook community page just for Wikapedia was created, and so far it’s shared more than 200 posts. It’s also produced both an electronic and printed booklet. 

It has explained the correct usage of “din”, “rin”, “daw”, “raw”, “dito” and “rito”. Last Halloween, the page listed and explained popular Filipino mythological characters. 

Most recently it posted the two different types of “pato” (duck): “itik” is brown or black in color, while “bibe” is white.

There is no full-time Wikapedia team — this is just one of the things they’re working on under the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office — so it’s admirable that they find time to research, illustrate and design their posts, as well as reply to comments and answer questions from followers.

We only have one word for that: Panalo!

Check out Wikapedia on Facebook.

 



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