Skip to content

hikahos

hikahós with stress marks

broke; bankrupt

adjective hi-ka-HOS Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Hikahos is an informal, emphatic term for being completely out of money or financially ruined — more colorful than simply walang pera, suggesting total destitution. It is commonly used in casual conversation among friends discussing difficult financial times.

Examples

Beginner

" Hikahos kami ngayon. "

Natural Translation

We are broke right now.

Literal Translation

Broke we now.

Intermediate

" Hikahos na kami pagkatapos ng bakasyon, wala nang natira. "

Natural Translation

We were broke after the vacation, nothing was left.

Literal Translation

Broke already we after-the vacation, nothing left.

Advanced

" Matapos mawalan ng trabaho, lubos na hikahos ang pamilya kaya napilitan silang umutang sa mga kapitbahay. "

Natural Translation

After losing his job, the family was completely broke, so they were forced to borrow from the neighbors.

Literal Translation

After lost of job, completely broke the family so forced they to-borrow from the neighbors.

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.