Skip to content

lintik

lintík with stress marks

lightning; curse

noun lin-TIK Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Lintik literally means lightning but is commonly used as a mild expletive expressing anger or exasperation, similar to 'damn' or 'blast.' It is considered stronger than lintak and reflects the Filipino cultural use of natural phenomena in expressive language — saying 'lintik ka!' is a moderately strong insult.

Examples

Beginner

" Tinamaan ng lintik ang bahay. "

Natural Translation

The house was struck by lightning.

Literal Translation

Struck by lightning the house.

Intermediate

" Tinamaan ng lintik ang puno. "

Natural Translation

The tree was struck by lightning.

Literal Translation

Hit by lightning the tree.

Advanced

" Tumakbo kami papasok sa loob nang biglang kumidlat at sumunod ang malakas na lintik. "

Natural Translation

We ran inside when it suddenly flashed and a strong bolt of lightning followed.

Literal Translation

Ran we going-in to inside when suddenly flashed and followed the strong lightning.

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.