filha
/ˈfi.ʎɐ/feminine
The Portuguese word for daughter is filha.
filha is the most common and straightforward way to say daughter in Portuguese.
Meaning: female offspring (noun)
Which one should you use?
While filha refers specifically to a female offspring, the masculine form filho is used to mean son. If you are referring to a group of children that includes both sons and daughters, you use the masculine plural form filhos. If the group consists only of daughters, use the feminine plural form filhas.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is feminine. The plural form for a group of only females is filhas, whereas the masculine plural filhos is used for a mixed-gender group of children.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈfi.ʎɐ/. The stress is on the first of the two syllables.
Did you know?
- The term filha is used in the expression filha do acaso, meaning 'daughter of chance', to describe a coincidence or an unexpected event.
- In many Portuguese-speaking cultures, a mother might use the term of endearment filha when addressing any younger woman or even a female friend, much like an older person might say 'dear' or 'sweetie' in English.
- The word filha shares its distant ancestor with the English word 'filial', which relates to the duties or feelings a child has toward their parents.
Examples in context
- A filha é boa?Is the daughter nice?This sentence demonstrates how to ask if a daughter is nice using filha.Tatoeba #1914306 by alexmarcelo, translation #10221278 by lucasmg123
- Sua filha é cega?Is your daughter blind?This sentence shows how to ask if a daughter is blind using filha.Tatoeba #3797587 by Laudemilson, translation #2343128 by kareybh
- É a filha de Tom.That's Tom's daughter.This sentence illustrates how to state whose daughter someone is using filha.Tatoeba #5080658 by bill, translation #3735615 by CK
- A minha filha é muito inteligente.My daughter is very intelligent.
- Como está a minha filhinha hoje?How is my little daughter today?
- 416 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariana and Gabriel are talking about their families.
- MarianaVocê tem filhos, Gabriel?Do you have children, Gabriel?
- GabrielSim, eu tenho uma filha.Yes, I have a daughter.
- MarianaQuantos anos tem a sua filha?How old is your daughter?
- GabrielEla tem cinco anos.She is five years old.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “daughter” translations and entries filha, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries filha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
