usog
usóg with stress marks
stomach gas/fever from another's greeting; a sickness or evil eye hex
Usage Note
Usog is a deeply cultural Filipino folk belief: a child who suddenly becomes ill after being admired or greeted by a stranger is said to have been afflicted by usog. The remedy involves the greeter touching saliva to the child's forehead or stomach. It is widely observed even in modern urban families.
Examples
" May usog daw ang sanggol. "
Natural Translation
They say the baby has usog.
Literal Translation
Has usog reportedly the baby.
" Paano gamutin ang usog sa probinsya? "
Natural Translation
How do they treat usog in the province?
Literal Translation
How to treat the usog in province?
" Naniniwala pa rin ang lola ko na nagkakasakit ang bata dahil sa usog ng bisita. "
Natural Translation
My grandmother still believes that a child gets sick because of a visitor's usog.
Literal Translation
Believing still the grandmother my that getting-sick the child because of usog of visitor.
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 workObject Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Mano Po and Filipino Etiquette: A Visitor's Guide
Mano po presses an elder's hand to your forehead as a blessing. Learn who to mano, how to lip-point, and the etiquette that wins over a Filipino family.
Tagalog vs Filipino: What's the Difference & Which to Learn
Tagalog and Filipino aren't the same language — but they overlap almost completely. Here's the real difference and which one you should actually learn.
Tagalog Verb Focus System Explained (It's Not Active vs. Passive)
The Tagalog verb focus system isn't active vs. passive. Learn actor focus, object focus, and more with clear examples that finally make it click.
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.