lutong
lutóng with stress marks
brittleness; crispiness
Also means
Lutong can also refer to something being 'cooked' in the sense of a rigged or pre-arranged outcome, as in 'lutong macao' (a fixed game or deal).
Usage Note
Lutong in its culinary sense describes the desirable crispiness or crunchiness of fried or baked food. The idiom lutong macao is widely understood in Filipino culture to mean a prearranged or fixed result, often invoked when discussing cheating in games, elections, or business deals.
Examples
" Maganda ang lutong ng chicharon. "
Natural Translation
The crispiness of the chicharon is good.
Literal Translation
Good the crispiness of chicharon.
" Gusto ko ang lutong nito. "
Natural Translation
I like its crispiness.
Literal Translation
Like I the crispiness its.
" Ang sikreto ng masarap na pritong manok ay ang tamang lutong na hindi mawawala kahit lumamig na. "
Natural Translation
The secret to delicious fried chicken is the right crispiness that stays even after it has cooled.
Literal Translation
The secret of delicious fried chicken is the right crispiness that not lost even cold already.
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 workRelated Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Tagalog Time Expressions: Past, Present & Future Guide
Tagalog has no tenses — it uses aspect. Learn time words, days of the week, clock time, and the aspect system, with vocabulary tables and cultural notes.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Tagalog?
Survival Tagalog takes ~3-4 weeks and comfortable conversation 6-12 months. FSI's 1,100 hours is the professional bar, not the talking-to-family bar.
Is Tagalog Hard to Learn? An Honest Answer
Tagalog takes around 1,100 hours to reach professional proficiency. Here is what is easy, what is hard, and what to expect at 3, 6, and 12 months.
Philippines Geography for Learners: Islands & Language
Philippines geography for Tagalog learners: 7,641 islands, three island groups, and the Southern Luzon heartland where the Tagalog language was born.