Skip to content

lila

líla with stress marks

purple

noun adjective LI-la Spanish origin Less Common
Illustration of "lila" (purple)

Usage Note

Lila is the standard Tagalog term for the color purple or violet, used for everything from clothing to home decor. When describing an object, it is typically connected to the noun using a linker, such as in 'lilang damit' (purple clothes).

Examples

Beginner

" Lila ang damit ko. "

Natural Translation

My dress is purple.

Literal Translation

Purple the dress my.

Intermediate

" Lila ang kanyang bag. "

Natural Translation

Her bag is purple.

Literal Translation

Purple her bag.

Advanced

" Pinili niya ang lilang kurtina dahil bumabagay ito sa kulay ng kanilang sala. "

Natural Translation

She chose the purple curtains because they matched the color of their living room.

Literal Translation

Chose she the purple curtain because matches it to color of their living-room.

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

Explore Tagalog by topic

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