buwena mano

See also: buwenamano

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• buena mano
• buwenamano
• bwenamano

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish buena mano (“good hand”), due to the supposed good pick or fine hand of the first customer of the day. It is said that the concept originally came from the Sangley Chinese who are believed to be good at running a business.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /buˌena ˈmano/ [ˌbwɛː.n̪ɐ ˈmaː.n̪o]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: bu‧we‧na ma‧no

Noun

buwena mano (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜏᜒᜈ ᜋᜈᜓ) (business)

1. first customer of the day
2. first sale of the day

Usage notes

• In the Philippines, it is believed that usage of this term invites luck into the business throughout the day, so business owners tend to welcome the first customer with a bigger smile.

Related terms

• buweno
• mano

 

See also

• manigo
• pasinaya

 

Further reading

• “buwena mano” at KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino‎^[1], Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2021
• “buwenamano”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Dimaculangan, Shelly C. (2017) “Filipino Phrases Borrowed from Spanish that You May Find Amusing”, in Shelly Viajera Travel‎^[2]