ubas
/ˈʔubas/
The English word "grape" is ubas in Tagalog.
ubas refers to the fruit known as a grape.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔubas/
Did you know?
- Because ubas comes from the Spanish plural uvas, it is a rare case in Tagalog where a borrowed word retains its plural-sounding origin in its singular form.
- When shopping in a local Philippine market, you will often see ubas sold in much larger, looser clusters than the tightly packed varieties found in Western supermarkets.
- If you were to look for the word in an ancient pre-colonial Tagalog text, you would not find ubas, as the fruit was introduced through trade and colonization.
Examples in context
- Dyeli ng ubas ang pinakagusto ko.I like grape jelly best.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for ubas jelly.Tatoeba #1959042 by nonong, translation #261563 by CK
- Bumili ako ng isang kilong ubás sa palengke.I bought a kilogram of grapes at the market.
- Maasim ang ubas na ito.This grape is sour.
- Bumili ako ng ubas sa palengke.I bought grapes at the market.
Example conversation
Mark and Jasmine are grocery shopping together.
- MarkGusto mo ba ng ubas?Do you want some grapes?
- JasmineOo, paborito ko ang ubas.Yes, I love grapes.
- MarkSige, kukuha ako ng marami.Okay, I will get many.
- JasmineSalamat, Mark.Thank you, Mark.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grape” translations and entries ubas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
