lahing

Lahing is a Filipino term that denotes race, ethnicity, or lineage. In Tagalog usage, lahi refers to a stock or ancestry, and lah ing is the noun form used to discuss groups defined by shared heritage. The concept appears in discussions of national identity, cultural diversity, and social history, where it is used to describe how different communities contribute to the character of a nation.

In everyday speech, lahing can refer to the idea of a people’s roots, traditions, and languages as elements of a broader cultural fabric. It is often encountered in literature, journalism, and political discourse when addressing questions of representation, heritage, and belonging. The Philippines’ many ethnic communities—each with its own languages, customs, and histories—illustrate how lahing functions as a plural concept that encompasses diversity within unity.

Because discussions of ethnicity and race can be sensitive and variable across contexts, modern usage tends to favor specificity. Rather than applying a broad category like lah ing to people, many writers and speakers opt to name particular ethnic groups, regions, or linguistic communities to avoid essentialist or oversimplified characterizations.

See also: ethnicity, race, Filipino culture, La hi (etymology and related terms).