mantika
mantikà with stress marks
cooking oil; lard
Usage Note
Mantika is the general term for any cooking oil or lard used for frying and sautéing in Filipino cuisine. It is a staple in every kitchen and refers to both liquid vegetable oils and solid animal fats used in food preparation.
Examples
" Wala nang mantika sa kusina. "
Natural Translation
There's no more cooking oil in the kitchen.
Literal Translation
None already cooking-oil in kitchen.
" Kailangan ng mantika para magluto. "
Natural Translation
Oil is needed to cook.
Literal Translation
Need oil to cook.
" Bago isalang ang isda, tiyakin mong sapat ang mantika sa kawali upang hindi ito dumikit habang pinipirito. "
Natural Translation
Before putting in the fish, make sure there is enough oil in the pan so that it does not stick while frying.
Literal Translation
Before put-in the fish, make-sure you enough the cooking-oil in pan so-that not it stick while being-fried.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workDerived Words
Actor Focus Verbs
Object Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Days of the Week and Months in Tagalog
The days of the week and months in Tagalog are Spanish loanwords. Learn all 7 days and 12 months with pronunciation, plus how to say dates and 'every Monday.'

Ng vs Nang in Tagalog: The Spelling Rule
Ng vs nang sound identical but spell differently. Use ng to mark nouns (of, the object), and nang for how, when, repetition, and counting time.

Tagalog Root Words: Learn a Few Hundred, Understand Thousands
Tagalog root words unlock vocabulary fast: learn a few hundred and recognize thousands. Real word families, examples, and a practical study strategy.

Tagalog Numbers 1-100: Counting, Time & Money Explained
Learn Tagalog numbers 1-100 and beyond. Master both native and Spanish-derived counting systems, plus telling time, reading prices, and ordinals.