Start Here: Tao Hayop Bagay Lugar Pagkain

The 5 Major Categories of Pinoy Henyo 

Currently, there are 5 major categories given in Pinoy Henyo. These are:

1. Tao (a person)
2. Hayop (an animal)
3. Bagay (an object other than food)
4. Lugar (a place)
5. Pagkain (food)

Tip

When enumerating these 5 major categories, be consistent with this order so that you can develop a strategy to save time. For example, if the word is a place (4th order), you can respond ahead in this way: hindi hindi hindi oo. This is to signify that you are looking for a place.

No need to confirm if it was actually a place. That would be eating time. Instead, immediately enumerate a list of places or ask a minor category to narrow down your choices.

Tao: Minor Categories for Persons

This can be a name of a person or a part of the body.

Pangalan (Name of a person)

If it is a name of a person, you can narrow it down to these sub-categories.

• Babae? Lalaki? (female or male)
• Celebrity?
• Actor or singer?
• Local or international?
• Newscaster? TV host?
• Veteran (50s or older)? Classic? Bata pa (young, 20s-40s)? Teens? Child?
• Bayani (Hero)? Politician?
• Dead or alive?
• Fictional?
• Superhero? Cartoon?

Parte (ng Katawan; part of a body)

It saves time if you will just ask: parte? rather than parte ng katawan? The shorter, the better because it saves time.

Classify the body into major sections:

1. Head (that includes the neck). Alternatively, ask: itaas or top.
2. Torso (this includes the upper torso, i.e. the torso above the navel; and lower torso; the torso below the navel). Alternatively, ask: gitna or middle.
3. Limbs (this covers the arms and legs down to fingers and toes)

Then, narrow it down further to:

1. External? 
2. Internal?
3. Excretion?

Hayop: Minor Categories for Animals

1. Land? Farm? Pet? Wild? Amphibian? Reptile? Pest? Insect?
2. Water? Mammal? Fish? Non-fish?
3. Air? Bird? Insect?

Bagay: Minor Categories for Objects

This category does not include food, which has a separate category.

1. Bahay (house)? Parte (ng bahay or section of the house)? Living or sala, dining, kitchen or kusina, banyo or CR, bedroom or kuwarto, laundry
2. Furniture? Fixture? Appliance? Gadget? Decor? Gamit?
3. Sasakyan (vehicle)? Land? Water? Air?
4. Puno (tree)? Halaman (plant)? Flowering? Namumunga (fruit tree)?
5. Damit or kasuotan (apparel)? Panloob (underwear)? Panlabas (outerwear)?
6. Accessories? Alahas (jewelry)?
7. Kolorete (toiletries)?
8. School? Office? School or office supplies?
9. Hardware?
10. Medical?
11. Panlinis (housekeeping tools)?

Lugar: Minor Categories for Places

You must be good in geography in order to win this category. It is also important that you are familiar with the geographical locations of each country. If not, enumerate the countries alphabetically. Unfamiliar and unpopular places such as cities and landmarks are not usually mentioned unless these places went viral in the news or social media.

Lugar or Places category is further subdivided into continental regions. Make sure that you always mention the categories in this order.

1. Asia
2. North America
3. South America
4. Europe
5. Africa
6. Asia-Pacific

Sub-categories under Asia

If Asia is the correct category, follow it immediately with Philippines. If Philippines is not correct, start enumerating the different parts of Asia in the following order. These minor categories are listed from East clockwise. This requires good geographical imagination. Start with what's on top of the Philippines which is East Asia, then South-East Asia, etc.

1. East: China, Japan, Korea, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia followed by the territories and popular cities of these countries such as: Hongkong, Taiwan, Taipei, Macao, Osaka, Nagasaki, Seoul, Gangnam, Busan.  
2. South-East: Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Lester, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia; (then you go to the west of the Philippines), Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar. Hint: These are countries where people look like Filipinos.
3. South: Start with India, then imagine the countries whose people look like Indians, and these are, from top: Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives.
4. Central: These are countries that end in -an such as: starting with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan.
5. Middle East (only those that are part of Asia): Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey/Turkiye, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE/United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen.

Notes

There is only one country in North Asia, and that is Russia which is also categorised as Eurasian. However, Russia is more associated with Europe, so for the purpose of this game, it is excluded from Asia. As much as possible, limit the responses to yes or no only. It is a strategy to quickly narrow down your choices. The rule is, associate the word with the most likely category.

Though Pakistan is not part of Central Asia, might as well include it under Central Asia with countries ending in -an for easy memory recall. 

Middle East is actually Western Asia.

For the list of other countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and the Pacific, see the individual posts.

Pagkain: Minor Categories for Foods

Start with foods that are more concrete such fruits and vegetables.

1. Prutas (fruit)? Gulay (vegetable)? Ugat (roots)? Nuts? Grains? Spices?
2. Ulam (dish)? Breakfast? Main course (which is either served in lunch or dinner)? Merienda (snacks)? Street food? Fast food? Bakery? Soup based? Saucy?
3. Drinks?
4. Condiments?

Instead of asking lunch or dinner, main course is more ideal. Also omit categories like solid or liquid because there are foods which are a mix of something solid and liquid such as soup.