Skip to content

hirap

hiráp with stress marks

hardship; poverty

noun adjective hi-RAP Native origin Common

Also means

Hirap can also mean difficulty or the quality of being hard to do.

Usage Note

Hirap refers to both the state of poverty and the intensity of a personal struggle or difficulty. It is most commonly used with the prefix ma- (mahirap) to describe a task as 'hard' or a person as 'poor,' reflecting its central role in Filipino conversations about resilience.

Examples

Beginner

" Marami silang hirap sa buhay. "

Natural Translation

They have many hardships in life.

Literal Translation

Many their hardship in life.

Intermediate

" Alam ko ang hirap ng buhay. "

Natural Translation

I know the hardships of life.

Literal Translation

Know I the hardship of life.

Advanced

" Dahil sa hirap na dinanas ng kanyang pamilya, patuloy siyang nagsusumikap upang makapagtapos ng pag-aaral. "

Natural Translation

Because of the hardship his family endured, he keeps working hard so that he can finish his studies.

Literal Translation

Because of hardship that endured of his family, continuously he strives so-that can-finish of studies.

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

Actor Focus Verbs

Object Focus Verbs

Explore Tagalog by topic

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