tong-its

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• tong its, tongits
• tonghits

Etymology

Emerged around the late 20th century around Luzon, especially the 1990s. Possibly from Hokkien, such as 當 / 当 (tong, “to bear; to withstand; to sustain; to take responsibility; to match; to be equal to”) +‎ 一 (it, “one”) +‎ -s. See also tong (“percentage cut of the winnings in gambling”) and huweteng. Compare Ilocano tong-it, Pangasinan tung-it, and English tonk.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˌtoŋ ˈʔits/ [ˌt̪oŋ ˈʔit̪s]
• Rhymes: -its
• Syllabification: tong-its

Noun

tong-its (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜓᜅ᜔ᜁᜆ᜔ᜐ᜔) (gambling, card games)

1. a matching type rummy card game, conceptually similar to tonk and mahjong, usually played and gambled on by three players in the Philippines

See also

• bahay
• huweteng
• kang
• kuwaho
• madyong
• pong
• pusoy dos
• tong