English

Noun

kuya ‎(plural kuyas)

1. (Philippine English) An elder brother.^[1]
2. (Philippine English) A respectful title or form of address for an older man.^[1]

References

1. 1 2 “kuya, n.”, in OED Online, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2015.

Cebuano

Etymology

Cognate with Tagalog kuya.

Noun

kuya

1. an elder brother
2. a respectful title or form of address for an older man

Mato

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈku.jɑ]

Noun

kuya

1. rain

References

• Phonological Descriptions of Papua New Guinea Languages (2005, SIL, edited by Steve Parker), section Mato (Nenaya, Nengaya, Nineia) Language, page 28: kuya [ˈku.jɑ] 'rain'

Ngiyambaa

Noun

kuya

1. fish

Tagalog

Etymology

Cognate with Cebuano kuya.

Noun

kuya

1. a big brother: any elder brother, especially the eldest

   Tumutulong si kuya sa aming mga magulang sa mga gawaing bahay.

   Our big brother helps our parents do housework.

2. (informal) any male who is deserving respect or reverence because of his age

   Bumili ako ng sorbetes kay kuya. — I bought ice cream from the ice cream vendor.

3. (informal) any male who belongs to a higher education level than someone else, a senior

   Tinanong ko ang kuya sa hayskul, "Kuya, ano po ang mga gawain niyo sa hayskul". — I asked my senior from high school, "What activities do you do in high school?"

See also

• diko
• sangko