Skip to content

kara-krus

kara-krús with stress marks

coin-tossing game

noun ka-ra KRUS Compound origin Rare

Usage Note

Kara-krus is a traditional Filipino street gambling game where a coin is tossed and players bet on whether it lands face up (kara, from Spanish cara) or cross up (krus). It is associated with fiestas and informal public spaces and, though technically illegal, remains commonly played.

Examples

Beginner

" Maglaro tayo ng kara-krus. "

Natural Translation

Let's play coin-toss.

Literal Translation

Let's-play we of coin-toss.

Intermediate

" Naglalaro ng kara-krus ang mga bata sa labas ng simbahan. "

Natural Translation

The children are playing coin-toss outside the church.

Literal Translation

Playing kara-krus the children outside of-the church.

Advanced

" Tuwing pista, nagtitipon ang mga lalaki sa kanto para maglaro ng kara-krus habang nag-iinuman sila at nagkukuwentuhan. "

Natural Translation

During every fiesta, the men gather at the corner to play coin-toss while they drink and swap stories.

Literal Translation

Every fiesta, gather the plural men at-the corner to play of coin-toss while drinking they and telling-stories.

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.