Pitong Pating is the most well-known Filipino tongue twister. It fires the P and T sounds in every syllable, making it nearly impossible to say correctly at speed. The full verse translates to: Seven sharks flicked seven sticks — seven sticks are being flicked by seven sharks.
Pitong Pating – Full Text
Pitong pating pumitik pitong patpat,
Pitong patpat ang pinipitik ng pitong pating.
English Translation
Seven sharks flicked seven sticks,
Seven sticks are being flicked by seven sharks.
Why Is It So Hard?
Every word in the first line begins with P or contains the T sound: Pitong, pating, pumitik, pitong, patpat. The second line reverses the word order and adds pinipitik (are being flicked), which packs three syllables of alternating P and T into a single word. The brain knows all the sounds but scrambles the order under pressure.
Tips for Saying It
- Master pumitik (flicked) and pinipitik (being flicked) in isolation first — these are the hardest words.
- In Tagalog, P is unaspirated — no puff of air after it. This is the opposite of English P.
- Say the first line five times slowly before attempting the second line.
- Clap the syllable rhythm: PI-tong PA-ting pu-MI-tik PI-tong PAT-pat.
More Tagalog tongue twisters: Mamimili si Mamita, Nagtitinda ng Titikling si Titay. More tongue twisters: Tagalog tongue twisters, tongue twisters full collection.