charot

/cha-ROT/ Beginner Updated

Charot is Filipino slang for “just kidding.” You tack it on after a joke or a cheeky comment: “I’m the prettiest one here. Charot!”

What charot means

Wiktionary lists two main uses. The first is the playful “just kidding,” admitting that what you just said was a joke or a fib. The second points the other way: “charot!” can mean “I don’t believe you” or “yeah, right.” As a noun it means a joke or a lie.

Examples

  • “I’m on a diet starting tomorrow. Charot!”
  • “He said he’ll pay for everyone.” “Charot!”
  • “That was just charot, don’t take it seriously.”

Where it came from

Wiktionary describes charot as a blend of charing and harot, and says it began as gay slang. It comes out of Swardspeak, the Taglish-based slang used by many LGBT Filipinos, which has given everyday Filipino speech plenty of words.

Related terms

  • JK: just kidding.
  • Cap: a lie.
  • Kilig: romantic butterflies.
  • Lodi: idol.

More words from other languages are in our world slang guide.

Example sentence

I’ll finish the whole cake by myself. Charot!

Similar words

just kidding, JK

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