What’s that Filipino word? KWF’s dictionary now on app!

MANILA, Philippines – For the longest time, I’ve had three ways to look up the meaning of a Filipino word: open the humongous printed UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino, go to my bookmarked diksionaryo.ph and kwfdiksiyonaryo.ph on desktop, or go to these two websites via the default browser on my mobile phone.

And for the longest time too, I’ve wished I would have handy these (or even part of these) Filipino dictionaries put together by language experts, the same way I’ve had the digital Merriam-Webster in my pocket.

What do you know? The gods of Philippine languages must have heard me. Recently, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) put their dictionary into an app. The mobile Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino (DWF) — “KWF Diksi” for short — is on Google Play and Apple App Store, and can be downloaded for free. The commission promises that the dictionary “it “can be conveniently used offline.” 

KWF Diksi app doesn’t disappoint. The more than 30,000 words on follow the Ortograpiyang Pambansa (National Orthography) for spelling (so this would hopefully lessen my stress seeing news reports or statements of officials or agencies saying “soberenya” instead of “soberanya,” or “kwalipikasyon” instead of “kalipikasyon,” or “aspeto” instead of “aspekto”).

And, like any proper dictionary, the entries “tell you the correct pronunciation of words, w orrectness and entries “feature information about proper pronunciation, parts of speech, etymology, variant, field, idiomatic expressions, and sample sentences,” says the KWF. (This is true, I’ve explored the app.) 

This is going to be a big help to students, teachers, and scholars in the Philippines. The KWF says “even heritage users of the Filipino language abroad” can benefit from the app.

The commission’s Lexicography and Corpus Division constantly updates and manages KWF Diksi. – Rappler.com