Skip to content

panyo

panyô with stress marks

handkerchief

noun pan-YO Spanish origin Common
Home & Lifestyle Household Items
Illustration of "panyo" (handkerchief)

Usage Note

Panyo is a Spanish loanword (from paño, cloth) for handkerchief and remains an everyday essential in the Philippines — typically carried to wipe sweat during the humid heat or to cover the face from dust while commuting. It also appears in folk customs, such as the handkerchief dance pandanggo sa ilaw.

Examples

Beginner

" May panyo ka ba? "

Natural Translation

Do you have a handkerchief?

Literal Translation

Have handkerchief you question?

Intermediate

" Ginamit ko ang panyo. "

Natural Translation

I used the handkerchief.

Literal Translation

Used I the handkerchief.

Advanced

" Inilabas niya ang panyo sa kaniyang bulsa para punasan ang pawis sa kaniyang noo. "

Natural Translation

He took the handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

Literal Translation

Took-out he the handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat on his forehead.

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.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.

How Tagalog words work

Derived Words

panyito DERIVED

small handkerchief

nakapanyo DERIVED

wearing a handkerchief

panyulon DERIVED

large shawl

Actor Focus Verbs

magpanyo AF VERB

to use a handkerchief

Object Focus Verbs

ipanyo OF VERB

to use as a handkerchief

panyuan OF VERB

to cover with a handkerchief

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Grammar6 min read

Tagalog Pronouns Explained: Complete Chart with Examples

Every Tagalog pronoun explained with clear charts: ang/ng/sa forms, tayo vs kami, ikaw vs ka, politeness markers, and the mistakes beginners make.

Culture5 min read

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.

Learning Tips5 min read

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.

Vocabulary5 min read

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.

View all articles