barya

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• bariya

Etymology

From an earlier variant, bariya, from Early Modern Spanish barilla which used to refer to the Spanish-era copper coins minted in the Philippines.

Some sources, like Zorc (1979), also suggest it to be from Spanish varia, through variar (“to change; to alter”), which Potet (2016) notes as a mistake during the American colonial era by interpreting the word to mean “to change into small coins; to exchange”. However, Potet (2016) notes that the Spanish term for loose change is Spanish vuelta.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /baɾˈja/ [bɐɾˈja]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: bar‧ya

Noun

baryá (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜇ᜔ᜌ)

1. coin (a piece of currency)
2. loose change (small, loose money in coins or notes of small denominations)

   Synonyms: sensilyo, mulay, muyag

   Barya lang po ang tinatanggap sa umaga.

   Only loose change will be accepted in the morning.

Derived terms

• baryahin
• ibarya
• magbarya
• pagbabarya
• pambarya

See also

• sukli

Further reading

• “barya”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2024
• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Numbers and Units in Old Tagalog, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 139
• Zorc, David Paul (1979–1983) Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino: Part 1, page 42

Anagrams

• rabya, bayar