Skip to content

uka

ukâ with stress marks

a small dent or hollow

noun adjective u-KA Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Uka describes a shallow depression, indentation, or hollow in a surface — whether on the ground, a wall, or a person's cheek. It can also function as an adjective to describe something that is concave or indented. The word is used in both practical descriptions of terrain or objects and in noting physical features like dimples.

Examples

Beginner

" May uka sa pisngi niya. "

Natural Translation

She has a dimple on her cheek.

Literal Translation

Has hollow on cheek her.

Intermediate

" May uka sa lupa kung saan natumba ang bato. "

Natural Translation

There is a hollow in the ground where the rock fell.

Literal Translation

Has hollow in-the ground where fell the rock.

Advanced

" Pinunan ng mga manggagawa ang uka sa kalsada bago lumala ito at maging sanhi ng aksidente. "

Natural Translation

The workers filled the hollow in the road before it worsened and became a cause of accidents.

Literal Translation

Filled by-the workers the hollow on road before worsened it and become cause of accident.

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

Explore Tagalog by topic

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