pusali
pusáli with stress marks
sludge; miry drainage place
Usage Note
Pusali refers to a muddy, swampy, or sludgy drainage area, often found near rivers, fields, or low-lying areas after heavy rain. It is used in rural contexts and in descriptions of difficult terrain. The word evokes the challenges of navigating flooded or waterlogged areas common in the Philippine rainy season.
Examples
" Mabaho ang tubig sa pusali. "
Natural Translation
The water in the sludge stinks.
Literal Translation
Stinky the water in sludge.
" Nahulog ang kanilang sapatos sa pusali. "
Natural Translation
Their shoes fell into the sludge.
Literal Translation
Fell the their shoes in sludge.
" Matapos ang malakas na ulan, naging pusali ang daan kaya nahirapan kaming dumaan papunta sa aming bahay. "
Natural Translation
After the heavy rain, the road turned into sludge, so we had a hard time passing on the way to our house.
Literal Translation
After the strong rain, became sludge the road so had-difficulty we to-pass going to our house.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workRelated Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Tagalog vs Filipino: What's the Difference & Which to Learn
Tagalog and Filipino aren't the same language — but they overlap almost completely. Here's the real difference and which one you should actually learn.

Spaced Repetition for Tagalog: How Flashcards Make Words Stick
Cramming Tagalog vocabulary fails. See how spaced repetition — the science behind smart flashcards — makes words stick for the long term.

Tagalog Greetings: How to Say Hello, Goodbye & Po/Opo
Master Tagalog greetings with pronunciation: kumusta, magandang umaga, po and opo polite forms, time-of-day phrases, and the mano po tradition.

Languages of the Philippines: Tagalog, Cebuano, and More
Languages of the Philippines: one national language (Filipino) plus 180+ regional languages. Here's who speaks what, where, and why it matters to you.