balat-sibuyas

Tagalog

Etymology

From balat (“skin”) +‎ sibuyas (“onion”), literally “onion-skinned”.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /baˌlat siˈbujas/, [bɐˌlat sɪˈbu.jɐs]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ujas
• Syllabification: ba‧lat-si‧bu‧yas

Adjective

balát-sibuyas (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜆ᜔ᜐᜒᜊᜓᜌᜐ᜔)

1. (idiomatic) thin-skinned; sensitive

   Synonym: talusaling

   Balat-sibuyas si Sam kaya palagi tuloy siyang inaasar.

   Sam is thin-skinned, hence she is constantly taunted.

2. (by extension) acting like a crybaby
3. (by extension) easily bruised or cut

Derived terms

• mamalat-sibuyas

Noun

balát-sibuyas (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜆ᜔ᜐᜒᜊᜓᜌᜐ᜔)

1. (idiomatic) crybaby

   Synonym: iyakin

   Matindi ang trahedya sa pelikula; hindi ito para sa mga balat-sibuyas!

   The tragedy in the film is intense; it is not for crybabies!

2. (idiomatic) someone who is easily bruised or cut

Further reading

• “balat-sibuyas”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018