What does carabao mean?
A carabao is a domesticated Asian water buffalo, particularly one used in the Philippines and neighboring Southeast Asian countries for ploughing wet rice paddies, pulling carts, and other heavy farm work. The word comes into English through Spanish from Malay kerbau, reflecting the colonial-era trade routes of the region. In Philippine culture the carabao holds a special place: it symbolizes patience, strength, and humble diligence, and it is celebrated as the country's national animal. The term is standard in Philippine English but largely unfamiliar elsewhere, where people simply say "water buffalo"; writers outside the region often introduce it precisely for its local color. Figuratively, calling someone a carabao suggests tireless, uncomplaining labor. The plural is usually carabaos. Related cultural touchstones range from carabao races at provincial fiestas to Carabao, the famous Thai rock band named after the beast.
nounA domestic Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), especially as used in the Philippines and Southeast Asia for ploughing rice paddies and hauling loads.
- The domestic Asian water buffalo used as a draft animal in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
- (Figurative, informal) A person who works hard or laboriously, by extension from the animal's reputation for endurance.
"The farmer guided his carabao through the flooded paddy fields at dawn."
"A mud-covered carabao waded slowly across the shallows of the river."
"He plowed the field like a carabao, never stopping until sundown."
The regular plural carabaos is standard; an invariant plural also occurs informally.
"Several carabaos stood knee-deep in the muddy pond."
The carabao is so central to Filipino life that it's the national animal of the Philippines — and 'Carabao' is also the name of Thailand's most famous rock band.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of carabao
Carabao entered English via Spanish, which borrowed it from a Philippine language form ultimately related to Malay kerbau, meaning water buffalo. It was recorded in English by the late 17th century through accounts of trade and travel in the East Indies. Its closest relatives are the Malay kerbau and the Portuguese carabau, both denoting the same animal.
Related word forms
How carabao is actually used
The word belongs chiefly to Philippine English and other Southeast Asian varieties of English; speakers elsewhere would normally say "water buffalo." It carries strongly rural, agricultural connotations and can be affectionate when applied figuratively to a hard worker.