Questions · Half Filipino
Questions for half-Filipinos, who are fully both
Being half Filipino can mean being “not Filipino enough” at the family party and “so exotic” everywhere else. These questions are for exploring both sides of your family, and yourself, with siblings, cousins, friends or your parents.
- 16 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
When you think of home, what small detail comes up first?
Kapag naiisip mo ang home, anong maliit na detail ang unang pumapasok?
Home can be a smell, a sound, a person, a room, or one ordinary detail that stayed.
Pwedeng amoy, tunog, tao, kwarto, o isang ordinaryong detail ang home. Minsan yun ang unang bumabalik.
The questions
16 questions for half-Filipino and mixed-heritage people
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
Both sides of the family
5 questions
Food, home and the words you only half understood growing up.
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Finish this: Childhood merienda feels extra special when...
Tapusin ito: Mas special ang childhood merienda kapag...
Back of the card
Merienda memories are small, but they can carry whole afternoons with them. One bite can bring back a place, a person, or a mood.
Maliit lang ang merienda memories, pero may dala silang buong hapon. Isang kagat lang, may bumabalik agad na lugar, tao, o feeling.
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When you think of home, what small detail comes up first?
Kapag naiisip mo ang home, anong maliit na detail ang unang pumapasok?
Back of the card
Home can be a smell, a sound, a person, a room, or one ordinary detail that stayed.
Pwedeng amoy, tunog, tao, kwarto, o isang ordinaryong detail ang home. Minsan yun ang unang bumabalik.
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Name one small, specific thing you enjoy more than people expect.
Magbanggit ng isang maliit at specific na bagay na mas enjoy mo kaysa ina-expect ng iba.
Back of the card
Specific joys can be tiny clues about a person. They do not need to make sense to everyone to be real.
Yung specific joys, maliit na clue tungkol sa tao. Hindi kailangan gets ng lahat para maging real.
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Finish this: our barkada or family always laughs when ___.
Tapusin yung line: Laging nauuwi sa tawanan kapag ___.
Back of the card
Shared laughter becomes part of a group's language. Sometimes one unfinished sentence is enough to bring everyone back there.
Yung shared laughter, nagiging sariling language ng group. Minsan isang bitin na sentence lang, gets na agad.
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Name a word or line you misheard that made the conversation funny.
Magbanggit ng word o line na mali mong narinig at naging funny yung usapan.
Back of the card
Mishearing one word can send a conversation somewhere else completely. Sometimes the mistake is funnier than the original point.
Isang maling dinig lang, ibang direction na yung usapan. Minsan mas funny pa yung mali kaysa original point.
Who you get to be
6 questions
For being pulled in two directions, and choosing anyway.
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Where do you feel pulled in two directions?
Saan mo nararamdaman na hinihila ka sa dalawang direction?
Back of the card
Feeling pulled does not mean you are weak. It may mean two real things are asking for your attention.
Hindi ibig sabihin mahina ka kapag nahihila sa dalawang direction. Baka dalawang totoong bagay lang ang humihingi ng pansin.
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Name one truth about yourself that is becoming harder to ignore.
Magsabi ng isang truth tungkol sa sarili mo na mas mahirap nang i-ignore.
Back of the card
A truth that keeps returning may not be trying to shame you. It may be asking for honest attention.
Yung truth na paulit-ulit bumabalik, baka hindi ka pinapahiya. Baka humihingi lang siya ng honest na pansin.
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Describe the kind of person your recent choices point toward.
I-describe kung anong klaseng tao ang tinuturo ng recent choices mo.
Back of the card
Your choices are not the whole story, but they do point somewhere. Notice the direction without rushing to judge it.
Hindi buong story ang choices mo, pero may direction silang tinuturo. Pansinin muna bago husgahan.
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Name one hope you are protecting because it matters to you.
Magsabi ng isang hope na iniingatan mo kasi mahalaga talaga sa'yo.
Back of the card
We often protect the hopes that feel tender. You can hold it carefully without pretending it does not matter.
Madalas nating ingatan ang hopes na tender. Puwede mo siyang hawakan nang maingat nang hindi nagkukunwaring hindi siya mahalaga.
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What do you like more about yourself than you used to?
Ano ang mas nagugustuhan mo sa sarili mo kaysa dati?
Back of the card
Would you appreciate the same thing in another person? Your story can stay private.
Magugustuhan mo rin ba iyon sa ibang tao? Puwedeng itago ang sarili mong kuwento.
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Name one truth about this season that has been hard to admit but helpful to say.
Magsabi ng isang truth sa season na ito na mahirap aminin pero helpful sabihin.
Back of the card
Some truths become less heavy when they stop hiding. Naming them can be a quiet form of courage.
May mga truth na gumagaan kapag hindi na tinatago. Minsan courage na rin yung kaya mo siyang pangalanan.
Talking about it with your people
5 questions
Belonging, being included and the fears that shrink once said.
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Tell us about a friend who made you feel like you belonged.
Ikuwento yung friend na nagparamdam sa'yo na belong ka.
Back of the card
Inclusion can happen through one seat saved, one question asked, or one person making room on purpose.
Minsan isang upuang tinabi, isang tanong, o isang taong sinadyang magtabi ng space ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka.
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When joining friends for an activity, what helps you feel included?
Kapag may activity ang friends, ano ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka rin?
Back of the card
Being invited and being able to join are not always the same thing.
Hindi laging pareho ang niyayaya ka at ang kaya mong sumali.
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When joining a conversation, what helps you feel comfortable enough to take part?
Ano ang tumutulong para maging komportable kang sumali sa kuwentuhan?
Back of the card
You can invent a first line you would enjoy hearing when you join.
Puwede kang gumawa ng unang linyang gusto mong marinig kapag nakisali ka.
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Which fear gets smaller when you talk about it?
Anong takot ang gumagaan kapag naikukwento mo?
Back of the card
Some fears grow in silence and shrink in safe air. Talking can help you see their true size.
May takot na lumalaki kapag tahimik lang. Kapag naikuwento sa safe na lugar, mas nakikita mo ang totoong laki niya.
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When and where do you feel safe enough to be yourself?
Kailan at saan mo nararamdaman na safe kang maging ikaw?
Back of the card
A place like that matters. It lets people meet the version of you that is not busy performing.
Mahalaga ang ganung lugar. Doon nakikilala ng tao yung ikaw na hindi abala sa pagpapanggap.
How to use them
Before you ask
Mixed-heritage Filipinos often grow up fielding the same questions from strangers (“What are you?”, “Do you speak it?”) and almost never get asked the interesting ones: which side’s merienda you crave, what your Filipino side’s home smells like in memory, which part of yourself you are learning to claim.
Many half-Filipinos didn’t grow up speaking Tagalog, especially when the Filipino parent was the only speaker in the house. That can leave a feeling of being an outsider at family gatherings. Having the Tagalog right next to the English on every card is a small, low-pressure way to bring the language back into the conversation.
Use the first group with cousins from either side. Keep the middle group for a friend who is also mixed, or for yourself. The last group is good for a talk with the Filipino parent who might not know how you feel.
Good for
Tips
- Don’t let anyone grade your Filipino-ness, including you.
- Ask your Filipino parent why they did or didn’t teach you Tagalog. The answer is often surprising.
- Trade answers with a friend from a different mix. The details differ, the feeling often doesn’t.
- Learn one family word per visit. It adds up.
Decks for this
Half Filipino
Frequently asked questions
What questions can I ask about being half Filipino?
Ask about the food, homes and words from both sides of your family, where you feel pulled in two directions, and when you have felt fully included. They work with siblings, cousins, friends or as journal prompts.
Is it okay to be half Filipino and not speak Tagalog?
Yes. Many Filipinos abroad, half or not, grew up speaking only English. You can learn some at any age, and bilingual cards are a gentle way to practice with family.
What do Filipinos call someone who is half Filipino?
Common terms include Fil-Am (Filipino American) or Fil-Aus, Fil-Can and so on, “half-Pinoy”, and older words like “mestizo” or “mestiza”, which some people embrace and others avoid. Ask what a person prefers.
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