ang

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ang"

Languages (21)

Translingual

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Albanian • Atong (India) • Cebuano • Central Bikol • Chungli Ao • Dimasa • Haitian Creole • Hokkien • Irish • Jingpho • Kokborok • Livonian • Mandarin • Minangkabau • Mizo • Mokilese • Old Frisian • Old Norse • Tagalog • Vietnamese

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology 1

Possibly a clipping of English Anglo-Saxon (“Old English”).

Symbol

ang

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Old English.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Old English terms

Etymology 2

Noun

ang

1. (computing) Alternative letter-case form of ANG

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *anga, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énǵʰos, from *h₂enǵʰ- (“to constrict”).

Cognate to Latin angō (“to cramp (up), constrict”), German eng (“narrow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aŋ(ɡ)/

Noun

ang m (definite angje, definite plural angu) (dialectal)

1. nightmare
2. incubus
3. (mythology) shapeless ghost who appears in dreams

Derived terms

• ankth
• angësht
• angërduf
• angullin

Related terms

• eng

Atong (India)

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ŋa.

Pronoun

ang

1. I

References

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary.

Cebuano

Etymology

From Proto-Central Philippine *aŋ. Cognate with Tagalog ang, Central Bikol an, Hiligaynon ang, Waray-Waray an, Kapampangan ing, Tausug in. Compare archaic ing, now used in the form 'y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaŋ/ [ʔaŋ]

Article

ang

1. direct marker for all nouns other than personal proper nouns

   Midagan ang lalaki.

   The man ran.

   Gikaon sa iring ang isda.

   The cat ate the fish.

See also

Cebuano markers

		Direct		Indirect		Oblique
		Definite	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite
Common	Singular	ang	ing†, 'y	sa, sang†	og	sa
	Plural	ang mga	ing mga†, 'y mga	sa mga, sang mga†	og mga	sa mga
Personal	Singular	si		ni		kang*
	Plural	sila ni, silang sa†		nila ni, nilang na†		(kan)ila ni*, (kan)ilang* ka†
†Archaic *Indirect personal forms used instead in colloquial speech.

Central Bikol

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaŋ/ [ʔaŋ]

Particle

ang (Basahan spelling ᜀᜅ᜔)

1. alternative form of an

Chungli Ao

Etymology

From Proto-Central Naga *a-hjaŋ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aŋ˧/, [aŋ˧]

Noun

ang

1. thread, yarn

Usage notes

The Clarks specify a distinction between single-stranded threads (ang) and multi-stranded threads (angsü).

Derived terms

• angsü

Further reading

• Bruhn, Daniel Wayne (2014), A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga‎^[2], Berkeley: University of California, page 88
• Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave (1985), Ao-English-Hindi Dictionary, Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, page 17
• Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, page 170

Dimasa

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ŋa.

Pronoun

áng

1. I

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French angle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ãɡ/, [ãŋ]

Noun

ang

1. angle

References

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[3], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 9

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of ang – see 翁 (“elderly man; father; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 翁).

Irish

Noun

ang f (genitive singular anga, nominative plural angaí)

1. alternative form of eang (“track, gusset”)

Declension

Declension of ang (third declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative ang angaí vocative a ang a angaí genitive anga angaí dative ang angaí forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an ang na hangaí genitive na hanga na n-angaí dative leis an ang don ang leis na hangaí

Mutation

Mutated forms of ang

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
ang	n-ang	hang	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “ang”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Jingpho

Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese အင် (ang).

Noun

ang

1. water basin

References

• Kurabe, Keita (31 December 2016), “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎^[4], volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, archived from the original on 3 December 2024, pages 91–128

Kokborok

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ŋa Cognate with Atong (India) ang, Bodo (India) आं (aŋ), Dimasa ang, Garo anga, Rabha আং.

Pronoun

ang

1. I (first-person nominative singular)

   ang chana muchungo.

   I want to eat.

References

• Binoy Debbarma, Concise Kokborok-English-Bengali Dictionary (2001)

Livonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *hanko.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑnɡ/, [ˈɑŋˑɡ̥]

Noun

ang

1. pitchfork, hayfork

Declension

Declension of ang (92)

	singular (ikšlu’g)	plural (pǟgiņlu’g)
nominative (nominatīv)	ang	āngõd
genitive (genitīv)	ang	āngõd
partitive (partitīv)	angõ	angḑi
dative (datīv)	angõn	āngõdõn
instrumental (instrumentāl)	angkõks	āngõdõks
illative (illatīv)	angõ	āngiž
inessive (inesīv)	angsõ	āngis
elative (elatīv)	angstõ	āngist

References

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “ang”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[5] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Mandarin

Romanization

ang

1. nonstandard spelling of āng
2. nonstandard spelling of áng
3. nonstandard spelling of ǎng
4. nonstandard spelling of àng

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Minangkabau

Etymology

Compare Kedah Malay hang (“you”).

Pronoun

ang

1. you; your; yours (second-person masculine singular pronoun)

   Synonyms: awak, waang

Usage notes

Used towards familiar men of the same age or younger.

Mizo

Particle

ang

1. Future tense particle: will

Mokilese

Noun

ang (construct angen)

1. claw (of a lobster or crab)
2. tentacle
3. ray (of sunlight)

References

• Harrison, Sheldon P.; Albert, Salich Y. (1977), Mokilese-English Dictionary‎^[6], Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, →ISBN, page 9

Old Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːŋ/

Determiner

āng

1. alternative form of ēnich

References

• Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

Old Norse

Etymology

Unclear origin. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe”).

Noun

ang n

1. fragrance

Declension

Declension of ang (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ang	angit	ǫng	ǫngin
accusative	ang	angit	ǫng	ǫngin
dative	angi	anginu	ǫngum	ǫngunum
genitive	angs	angsins	anga	anganna

Related terms

• anga
• angi

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “ang”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• 'ng — contraction, informal, after words ending with vowel, usually in set phrases
• ag̃ — obsolete

Etymology

From Proto-Central Philippine *aŋ. Cognate with Central Bikol an, Cebuano ang, Hiligaynon ang, Waray-Waray an. See also Kapampangan ing and Tausug in.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaŋ/ [ʔɐŋ]
• Rhymes: -aŋ
• Syllabification: ang
• Homophone: Ang

Particle

ang (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜅ᜔)

1. (focus case marker): marks a noun or noun phrase as the clause’s pivot or focused argument; in verbal clauses, the verb’s trigger affix corresponds with the semantic role of the marked noun. In other words, it:
   1. marks the agent, doer, or experiencer of the action in actor-trigger verbs

      Tumakbo ang mga lalaki.

      The men ran.

      Bumili ng bahay ang babae.

      The woman bought a house.

      Ang kidlat ay gumuguhit ng mga ugat sa taniman ng langit.

      (The) lightning sketches roots under the soil of the sky.

   2. marks the patient, undergoer, or theme of the action in patient-trigger verbs

      Binili ng babae ang bahay.

      The/a woman bought the house.

   3. marks the recipient or beneficiary of the action in benefactive-trigger verbs

      Ibinili ng babae ng saging ang unggoy.

      The/a woman bought bananas for the monkey.

   4. marks the location or direction of the action in locative-trigger verbs

      Binilhan ng babae ng saging ang palengke.

      The/a woman bought bananas at the market.

   5. marks the instrument or means of performing the action in instrumental-trigger verbs

      Ipinambili ng babae ng saging ang sukli.

      The/a woman used the change to buy bananas.

   6. marks the reason or cause of the action in reason-trigger verbs

      Ikinagagalak ng babae ang makilala ka.

      The/a woman is glad to meet you.

      (literally, “The/a woman is glad for being able to get to know you”)

Usage notes

• Although this particle is often equated by native speakers and learners with the English definite article "the", it is more precisely a case marker that serves a central role in the grammar of Tagalog. The association with "the" may be attributed to the fact that ang-marked nouns are grammatically prominent, leading to implications of specificity and definiteness. Compare indefinite phrases (which use isa (“one”)), where ang is also used to mark the noun.

  ang araw ― the sun

  ang isang tao ― a person

• Used as the focus marker for nouns other than personal names, which is marked with si rather than ang in the pivot case.
• Colloquially, yung (from iyon (“that”)) often replaces or alternates with ang, especially when the marked noun phrase is specific, identifiable, or previously mentioned. This gives yung a more explicitly definite or anaphoric force than ang.
• Some kinship terms, such as ate, kuya, nanay, tatay, lola, lolo, etc., may be marked with either ang and si, depending on how they are used. With ang, the word is treated as an ordinary common noun referring to a kinship role. With si, the term is treated more like a personal name or title for a specific person known in context.

  ang ate ng bata ― the child's older sister

  si Ate ang kumain ― it was Ate who ate

See also

Tagalog markers

		pivot1 (ang)	non-pivot1
			core (ng)	oblique (sa)
common	singular	ang	ng	sa
	plural	ang mga	ng mga	sa mga
personal	singular	si	ni	kay
	plural / polite	sina	nina	kina

¹ Also known as the direct or focus.

Particle

ang (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜅ᜔)

1. used with a quality for emphasis and to give it an adjectival meaning

   Synonyms: (Rizal) bang, (Cavite) dang, (Nueva Ecija) budang

   Ang ganda! ― How pretty! (literally, “The beauty!”)

   Ang tapang! ― How audacious! (literally, “The audacity!”)

Related terms

• am-
• an-

Further reading

• “ang”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “ang”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Zorc, David Paul (1979–1983), Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino: Part 1, page 18
• Robert Blust (2012), “The Proto—Malayo-Polynesian Multiplicative Ligature *ŋa: A Reply to Reid”, in Oceanic Linguistics‎^[7], volume 51, number 2, →ISSN, pages 538–566

Anagrams

• nag-, nga, Gan

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• (central Vietnam, southern Vietnam) ảng

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 盎 (SV: áng).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaːŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaːŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔaːŋ˧˧]

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

Noun

ang • (盎, 𤮃, 坱, 央, 垵) (classifier cái)

1. (Northern Vietnam) a kind of water container
2. a kind of betel container
3. (historical) a traditional instrument made from wood or bamboo, used to measure grain