Skip to content

siyansi

spatula

noun si-yan-SI Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Siyansi is a native Filipino term for the flat cooking utensil used to flip, stir, or spread food in a pan or wok — the kitchen spatula. It is used in everyday cooking conversation and is more commonly heard in many households than Spanish-derived alternatives, making it a practical word for learners to know early.

Examples

Beginner

" Nasaan ang siyansi? "

Natural Translation

Where is the spatula?

Literal Translation

Where the spatula?

Intermediate

" Ginamit niya ang siyansi sa pagluluto. "

Natural Translation

He/she used the spatula in cooking.

Literal Translation

Used he/she the spatula in cooking.

Advanced

" Iabot mo nga ang siyansi para mabaligtad ko ang pritong isda bago pa ito masunog. "

Natural Translation

Please hand me the spatula so I can flip the fried fish before it burns.

Literal Translation

Hand you please the spatula so-that flip I the fried fish before still it burn.

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.