siyam (Tagalog)
Where does "siyam" come from?
The Tagalog word "siyam," meaning "nine," shares a deep linguistic lineage that traces back to the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language family. It evolved through Proto-Philippine and Proto-Central Philippine stages, maintaining a consistent form across many related languages including Ilocano, Cebuano, and Kapampangan. This stability reflects its ancient roots within the Austronesian language group.
Full etymology tree
- siyam (Tagalog), 'nine'
- inherited *siyam (Proto-Central Philippine)
- inherited *siam (Proto-Philippine)
- inherited *siam (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)
- inherited *siam (Proto-Philippine)
- inherited *siyam (Proto-Central Philippine)
Cognates and doublets
- siyam (Bikol Central)
- siam (Bolongan)
- siyam (Cebuano)
- siam (Central Dusun)
- siam (Ilocano)
- siam (Kapampangan)
Descendants and derived words
- ikalabinsiyam (Tagalog)
- ikalabinsiyam (Tagalog)
- ikasiyam (Tagalog)
- ikasiyam (Tagalog)
- labinsiyam (Tagalog)
- pagsisiyam (Tagalog)
- siyamnapu (Tagalog)
- siyamnapu't apat (Tagalog)
- siyamnapu't dalawa (Tagalog)
- siyamnapu't isa (Tagalog)
- siyamnapu't lima (Tagalog)
- siyamnapu't pito (Tagalog)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris