Usage Note
Sipol refers to both the sound of whistling and devices that produce it — a referee's whistle, a police signal, or a siren. The active form sumipol means to whistle, and in folk belief, whistling at night is sometimes considered bad luck, giving the word a cultural dimension beyond its practical uses.
Examples
" Narinig ko ang sipol. "
Natural Translation
I heard the whistle.
Literal Translation
Heard I the whistle.
" Narinig ko ang sipol ng pulis. "
Natural Translation
I heard the whistle of the police.
Literal Translation
Heard I the whistle of police.
" Sa tuwing tutunog ang sipol ng referee, tatahimik agad ang lahat ng manlalaro at titigil sa paglalaro. "
Natural Translation
Whenever the referee's whistle blows, all the players immediately fall silent and stop playing.
Literal Translation
At every will-sound the whistle of referee, fall-silent immediately the all of players and stop in playing.
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 workActor Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Tagalog Greetings: How to Say Hello, Goodbye & Po/Opo
Master Tagalog greetings with pronunciation: kumusta, magandang umaga, po and opo polite forms, time-of-day phrases, and the mano po tradition.
May vs Mayroon vs Meron: Have & There Is
May vs mayroon in Tagalog finally made simple: one rule decides which to use, plus how meron and wala fit the same have and there-is family.
Tagalog Slang Guide: 20 Words You'll Hear on TikTok
Tagalog slang explained: lodi, petmalu, werpa, astig, chika and more. Decode Filipino TikTok comments, group chats, and pop culture with this practical guide.
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.