Skip to content

kuskos

kúskos with stress marks

scrub

verb noun KUS-kos Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Kuskos refers to the act of scrubbing vigorously — washing clothes, cleaning floors, or exfoliating skin — and is a practical, everyday word in Filipino household language. The reduplicated form kuskusin reflects the repetitive physical action and is the standard way to direct the scrubbing of a specific surface.

Examples

Beginner

" Kuskusin mo ang sahig. "

Natural Translation

Scrub the floor.

Literal Translation

Scrub you the floor.

Intermediate

" Isang mabilis na kuskos lang sa plato. "

Natural Translation

Just a quick scrub on the plate.

Literal Translation

One fast that scrub only on-the plate.

Advanced

" Matagal kong kinuskos ang kaldero dahil hindi matanggal ang sunog na dumikit sa ilalim nito. "

Natural Translation

I scrubbed the pot for a long time because the burnt residue stuck to its bottom would not come off.

Literal Translation

Long-time I-link scrubbed the pot because not removable the burnt that stuck on-the bottom of-it.

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.