Skip to content

noo

noó with stress marks

forehead

noun no-O Native origin Common

Usage Note

Noo is the standard Tagalog word for forehead. It appears in common expressions and idioms; for example, a furrowed forehead (kunot ang noo) signals displeasure or concentration, and pagmamano — the custom of pressing an elder's hand to one's forehead — is a core Filipino gesture of respect. The forehead is a culturally significant body part in everyday social interactions.

Examples

Beginner

" Masakit ang noo ko. "

Natural Translation

My forehead hurts.

Literal Translation

Painful the forehead my.

Intermediate

" May sugat siya sa kanyang noo. "

Natural Translation

He/she has a wound on his/her forehead.

Literal Translation

Has wound he/she on his/her forehead.

Advanced

" Kunot ang noo ng aking lola habang binabasa niya ang sulat na hindi niya maintindihan. "

Natural Translation

My grandmother's forehead was furrowed as she read the letter she could not understand.

Literal Translation

Furrowed the forehead of my grandmother while reading she the letter that not she understand.

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.