pakwan
pakwán with stress marks
watermelon
Usage Note
Pakwan is a popular hydrating snack during the Philippine summer, often sold in pre-cut slices along roadsides or served chilled at home. It is a staple fruit used to combat the heat and is enjoyed as a refreshing dessert.
Examples
" Matamis ang pakwan. "
Natural Translation
The watermelon is sweet.
Literal Translation
Sweet the watermelon.
" Matamis ang pulang pakwan. "
Natural Translation
The red watermelon is sweet.
Literal Translation
Sweet the red watermelon.
" Tuwing tag-init, naghahanap kami ng malamig na pakwan na pinagputol-putol upang pampalamig sa init ng tanghali. "
Natural Translation
Every summer, we look for cold sliced watermelon to cool ourselves down in the midday heat.
Literal Translation
Every summer, looking-for we of cold watermelon that sliced-up so-that to-cool in heat of noon.
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 workDerived Words
Actor Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Tagalog Affixes Explained: A Beginner's Guide to Word Building
Tagalog affixes turn one root word into dozens of meanings. Learn prefixes, infixes, suffixes, and circumfixes with clear examples for beginners.
Philippine Christmas Traditions: World's Longest Holiday
Philippine Christmas traditions run four months — from Ber-month carols to Simbang Gabi dawn masses, Noche Buena feasts, and parol lanterns lighting every street.
May vs Mayroon vs Meron: Have & There Is
May vs mayroon in Tagalog finally made simple: one rule decides which to use, plus how meron and wala fit the same have and there-is family.
How to Say Sorry in Tagalog: Patawad vs Pasensya
How to say sorry in Tagalog: patawad, pasensya na, and paumanhin compared on a simple severity-and-formality ladder so you pick the right word every time.