pakwan
/pakˈwan/
The Filipino word for watermelon is pakwan.
pakwan is a noun used to refer to the fruit watermelon.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/pakˈwan/
Did you know?
- In the Philippines, watermelons are sometimes eaten with a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness of the pakwan.
- In many Tagalog-speaking provinces, you might hear people call a watermelon sandia instead of pakwan. This term comes from the Spanish word for watermelon, reflecting the deep colonial history of the Philippines.
- The word pakwan is closely related to the word pakuan used in Kapampangan, one of the major regional languages of the Philippines.
Examples in context
- Mahilig ako sa pakwan.I like watermelon.Tatoeba #8660613 by artemio, translation #1575786 by human600
- Hinati ni Doni ang pakwan.Doni split the watermelon.Tatoeba #12149801 by qwertzu, translation #11541515 by Pacific
- Kumain ako ng isang hiwa ng pakwan.I ate a slice of watermelon.Tatoeba #11659335 by qwertzu, translation #5175084 by CK
- Bumili ako ng malaking pakwan sa palengke.I bought a big watermelon at the market.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ricardo and Maria are at a fruit stand.
- RicardoMagkano po ang isang buong pakwan?How much is one whole watermelon?
- MariaIsang daang piso lang, Ricardo.It is only one hundred pesos, Ricardo.
- RicardoSige, kukuha ako ng pakwan.Okay, I will get a watermelon.
- MariaMukhang matamis ang pakwan na iyan.That watermelon looks sweet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “watermelon” translations and entries pakwan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pakwan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
