yasuwi

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 野媠 (iá súi, “very pretty”), though Zorc (1993) attributes the word to be from Japanese 易(やす)い (yasui, “easy”), while Potet (2016) attributes the word to be from Japanese 暑(あつ​)い (atsu​i, “hot”), which he remarks is a substitute (calque) for English hot.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /jaˈsui/ [jɐˈsuː.ɪ]
• Rhymes: -ui
• Syllabification: ya‧su‧wi

Adjective

yasuwi (Baybayin spelling ᜌᜐᜓᜏᜒ) (slang)

1. beautiful; good-looking; hot; sexually attractive (of a woman)

See also

• yansumi
• yantaw

 

Further reading

• Zorc, R. David, San Miguel, Rachel (1993) Tagalog Slang Dictionary, Manila: De La Salle University Press, →ISBN, page 160
• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 344