From root: wala
Usage Note
Pagkawala refers to the event or instance of losing something or someone. For example, the pagkawala ng kuryente means a power outage.
Examples
" Malungkot ang pagkawala ng aso. "
Natural Translation
The loss of the dog is sad.
Literal Translation
Sad the loss of dog.
" Masakit ang pagkawala ng alaga. "
Natural Translation
The loss of a pet is painful.
Literal Translation
Painful the disappearance of pet.
" Ang biglaang pagkawala ng kanyang trabaho ang naging dahilan kung bakit siya napilitang lumipat ng bahay. "
Natural Translation
The sudden loss of his job is the reason he was forced to move houses.
Literal Translation
The sudden loss of his job the became reason if why he forced to-move of house.
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 workWord family
wala has 10 related forms built from the same root.
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
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.
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.
Tagalog Time Expressions: Past, Present & Future Guide
Tagalog has no tenses — it uses aspect. Learn time words, days of the week, clock time, and the aspect system, with vocabulary tables and cultural notes.
Magkano: How to Ask "How Much" in Tagalog
Magkano means how much in Tagalog. Learn to ask a price, tell it apart from ilan and gaano, sound polite with po, and haggle at the palengke.