Drag queen Eva Le Queen’s new hand tattoos, featuring the words “kaliwa” and “kanan,” have struck a chord with Filipinos, with many expressing how relatable they are.
The “Drag Race Philippines” alum on Tuesday, December 31, shared that she got her hands tattooed with the words as her “gift” to herself.
“Kaliwa,” the Filipino word for “left,” was tattooed on her left hand, while “kanan,” the Filipino word for “right,” was inked on her right hand.
“One of the best gifts I gave myself is being able to tell which is which,” Eva said in a post on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“Tats #12 [number 12] and 13,” the drag artist added.
One of the best gifts I gave myself is being able to tell which is which. Tats #12 and 13 pic.twitter.com/qZ0IL2hXZn
— Ms. Eva (@eva_lequeen) December 31, 2024
Her post has earned 12,000 likes, 1,300 reposts and 88 replies so far.
Marina Summers, “Drag Race Philippines” season one first runner-up, was among those who commented on Eva’s post.
“HAHAHHAHAHAHA YAYYYY, FINALLYYY,” she wrote.
Another X user shared that he also had the same thing tattooed to help him distinguish directions.
“Maaaa, same din! Muntik na ‘ko mapahamak sa kanan, kaliwa. Laking tulong din sa pagda-drive,” the user wrote, sharing a picture of his tattooed wrists.
Maaaa, same din! Muntik na ko mapahamak sa kanan kaliwa. Laking tulong din sa pagddrive 😂 pic.twitter.com/s3ry3M3Gi3
— paolo tongko (@katzitongko) January 2, 2025
Eva, who saw the post, quipped that they should make such a thing a “trend” for this year.
“Gawin natin ‘tong bagong trend ng 2025. ‘Di niyo kaya, buti pa siya,” the drag queen commented.
Meanwhile, her tattoos similarly earned viral status on Facebook after the Philippine Star posted it on its page.
Many Pinoys shared her sentiments, quipping that they “needed” to do something similar to help them remember what the Filipino words mean.
“Naisip ko na din ito, haha, nauna ka lang magpa-tattoo,” a Facebook user wrote.
“I need this,” another online user commented.
“Akala ko ako lang ang ‘di alam ang kaliwa’t kanan, hahaha,” a different Pinoy said.
“Prang kailangan ko din ‘to, hahahaha,” another Facebook user commented.
“I need this so I can stop doing the [penmanship] gesture every time I want to know where my left and right [are] located,” shared a different Pinoy.
“Kanan” and “kaliwa” are Filipino words that are more commonly used among older Pinoys.
Those in the younger generations usually use its English translations more in everyday conversations.
