buena mano

Spanish

Etymology

From buena (“good”) +‎ mano (“hand”). Due to the supposed good pick or fine hand of the first customer of the day. It is said that the concept originally came from the Sangley Chinese in the Philippines who are believed to be good at running a business.

Noun

buena mano f (plural buenas manos)

1. (Philippines, business) first customer of the day
2. (Philippines, business) first sale of the day

Usage notes

• In the Philippines, it is believed that usage of this term invites luck into the business throughout the day, so business owners tend to welcome the first customer with a bigger smile.

Further reading

• “buena mano”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
• Dimaculangan, Shelly C. (2017) “Filipino Phrases Borrowed from Spanish that You May Find Amusing”, in Shelly Viajera Travel‎^[1]

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /buˌena ˈmano/ [ˌbwɛː.n̪ɐ ˈmaː.n̪o]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: bu‧e‧na ma‧no

Noun

buena mano (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜏᜒᜈ ᜋᜈᜓ)

1. Alternative spelling of buwena mano