tabal
tabál with stress marks
excessive growth of hair or weeds
Usage Note
Tabal describes an overgrowth — thick, unruly hair that has been left uncut for too long, or dense weeds overtaking a field or garden. Both senses involve something growing beyond its proper bounds. In farming contexts, mag-tabal describes weeds choking crops; in personal grooming, it describes a head of hair badly in need of cutting.
Examples
" Marami nang tabal sa bakuran. "
Natural Translation
There are a lot of overgrown weeds in the yard.
Literal Translation
Many already overgrowth in yard.
" Kailangan linisin ang tabal sa hardin. "
Natural Translation
The excessive growth of weeds in the garden needs to be cleaned.
Literal Translation
Need to clean the excessive growth of weeds in garden.
" Dahil matagal nang walang nag-aalaga sa hardin, kumalat ang tabal at halos matabunan na ang mga halamang gulay. "
Natural Translation
Because no one tended the garden for a long time, the overgrowth spread and nearly buried the vegetable plants.
Literal Translation
Because long-already no-one tending in garden, spread the overgrowth and almost buried already the plants vegetable.
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 workActor Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Ng vs Nang in Tagalog: The Spelling Rule
Ng vs nang sound identical but spell differently. Use ng to mark nouns (of, the object), and nang for how, when, repetition, and counting time.
How to Say "I Love You" in Tagalog: Phrases & Meaning
Learn how to say I love you in Tagalog. Mahal kita, Iniibig kita, and Filipino terms of endearment for partners, family, and friends — with cultural notes.
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.
Tagalog Verb Conjugation: Aspects Made Simple
Tagalog verb conjugation uses aspects, not tenses. Learn the three aspects with -um- and mag- verbs, one reduplication rule, and clear example tables.