Skip to content

kapal

kapál with stress marks

thickness

noun adjective ka-PAL Native origin Less Common

Also means

Kapal can also refer to shamelessness when used in the common idiomatic expression "kapal ng mukha."

Usage Note

Kapal refers to physical thickness or the density of things like hair and crowds, and is most often used with the prefix 'ma-' (makapal). It is also famously used in the idiom 'makapal ang mukha' to describe someone who is shameless or brazen.

Examples

Beginner

" Makapal ang ulap ngayon. "

Natural Translation

The clouds are thick now.

Literal Translation

Thick the cloud now.

Intermediate

" Ang kapal ng librong ito. "

Natural Translation

This book is very thick.

Literal Translation

The thickness of book this.

Advanced

" Dahil sa kapal ng pader na ito, hindi naririnig ang ingay mula sa kalsada kahit gabi. "

Natural Translation

Because of how thick this wall is, you can't hear the noise from the street even at night.

Literal Translation

Because of thickness of wall linker this, not heard the noise from the street even night.

Free · iOS & Android

Take Tagalog with you

The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.

Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.

How Tagalog words work

Derived Words

Actor Focus Verbs

Object Focus Verbs

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.