alumahan
alumáhan with stress marks
long-jaw mackerel
Usage Note
Alumahan is a popular and affordable saltwater fish (long-jaw mackerel) widely sold at public markets and used in everyday Filipino cooking — fried, steamed, or cooked in sinigang. It is a working-class staple and widely available in coastal communities throughout the archipelago.
Examples
" Masarap ang piniritong alumahan. "
Natural Translation
Fried mackerel is delicious.
Literal Translation
Delicious the fried mackerel.
" Binili ng nanay namin ang isang kilo ng alumahan para sa hapunan. "
Natural Translation
Our mother bought a kilo of mackerel for dinner.
Literal Translation
Bought the mother our of a kilo of mackerel for the dinner.
" Mas mura ang alumahan kaysa bangus, kaya madalas itong iniluluto ng mga pamilya tuwing katapusan ng buwan. "
Natural Translation
Mackerel is cheaper than milkfish, so families often cook it at the end of the month.
Literal Translation
More cheap the mackerel than milkfish, so often it being-cooked of the families every end of month.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workRelated Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Spaced Repetition for Tagalog: How Flashcards Make Words Stick
Cramming Tagalog vocabulary fails. See how spaced repetition — the science behind smart flashcards — makes words stick for the long term.

Tagalog Verb Focus System Explained (It's Not Active vs. Passive)
The Tagalog verb focus system isn't active vs. passive. Learn actor focus, object focus, and more with clear examples that finally make it click.

Ng vs Nang in Tagalog: The Spelling Rule
Ng vs nang sound identical but spell differently. Use ng to mark nouns (of, the object), and nang for how, when, repetition, and counting time.

Tagalog Time Expressions: Past, Present & Future Guide
Tagalog has no tenses — it uses aspect. Learn time words, days of the week, clock time, and the aspect system, with vocabulary tables and cultural notes.