- IPA(key): /kuˈan/ [kuˈwan̪]
- Hyphenation:ku‧wan
kuwán (Basahan spellingᜃᜓᜏᜈ᜔)
- so-and-so,whatchamacallit
- Synonyms:kuyan,ano
Possibly either from the following:
- FromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*kuan(“to speak, talk”), or derived fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*kua(“whatchamacallit”). Cognate withIlocanokua,Cebuanokuan,Bikol Centralkuwan,Tausugkuwan,Karo Bataker-kuan(“to speak”), andTontemboankuan(“what is said or thought”). See alsoKapampangankayi.
- FromSanskritक्व(kva,“somewhere”), according to Potet (2016).
- From a corruption ofSpanishcuál(“what”), according to Panganiban (1973). See alsoSpanishcuan.
kuwán (Baybayin spellingᜃᜓᜏᜈ᜔)
- so-and-so,whatchamacallit(placeholder name for a person or thing)
- Synonyms:ano,eme,kiyeme
Nakita mo ba sikuwan? Ipapadala niya kasi dapat yungkuwan ko sakuwan.- Did you see theguy? Because he's supposed to send mything to theplace.
- “kuwan”, inPambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila,2018
- Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016)Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press,→ISBN,page286
- Panganiban, José Villa (1973)Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles (overall work in Tagalog and English), Quezon City: Manlapaz Publishing Co., page327
- San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613) Juan de Silva, editor,Vocabulario de lengua tagala: El romance castellano puesto primero[1], La Noble Villa de Pila
- page 327: “Fulano) Covan [(pc)] bordonçillo que tienen eſtos como en eſpañol como [ſe llama], pero eſtos ncada paſo lo diçen como noſe acuerden del nombre propio, vt. [ſi covan] [ſi caſambil], ſulano caſambil.”
- page 358: “Hulano) Covan [(pc)] bordonçillo vſado entre eſtos ſiao ſe acuerdan de lo quee van a deçir, vt. covã dico naalala, como ſe diço a que nome acuerdo, ſi covan, hulano”
- Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*kuan₂”, in the CLDF dataset fromThe Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–),→DOI
- Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*kua-n”, in the CLDF dataset fromThe Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–),→DOI
