Skip to content

bulul

búlul with stress marks

rice granary deity

noun BU-lul Regional origin Rare

Usage Note

Bulul is a sacred wooden figure carved by the Ifugao people of the Cordillera region to guard rice granaries and ensure a good harvest. The carvings depict seated human forms and are considered inhabited by ancestral spirits. They are among the most recognized symbols of indigenous Philippine art and spiritual practice.

Examples

Beginner

" May bulul sa aming bahay. "

Natural Translation

We have a bulul in our house.

Literal Translation

There-is bulul in our house.

Intermediate

" Ang bulul ay isang sagradong pigura na ginagamit ng mga Ifugao sa kanilang ritwal. "

Natural Translation

The bulul is a sacred figure used by the Ifugao in their rituals.

Literal Translation

The bulul is a sacred figure that-is-used the Ifugao in their ritual.

Advanced

" Ipinamana sa amin ng aming lolo ang bulul na inukit umano ng kanyang ninuno noong unang panahon. "

Natural Translation

Our grandfather passed down to us the bulul that was supposedly carved by his ancestor long ago.

Literal Translation

Passed-down to us by our grandfather the bulul that was-carved supposedly by his ancestor in former time.

Free · iOS & Android

Take Tagalog with you

The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.

Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.

How Tagalog words work

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.