kapal

See also: kapál, kapał, and kąpał

English

Noun

kapal (plural kapals)

1. Alternative form of kappal (“ship”).

Ambonese Malay

Etymology

From Malay kapal, from Tamil கப்பல் (kappal, “ship, sailing vessel”).

Noun

kapal

1. ship (large water vessel)

Amis

Noun

kapal

1. (anatomy) palm

Balinese

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay kapal, from Tamil கப்பல் (kappal).

Noun

kapal (Balinese script ᬓᬧᬮ᭄)

1. (medya) ship

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ka‧pal

Noun

kapal

1. the yellow-tailed sergeant major (Abudefduf notatus)

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkapal]

Participle

kapal

1. masculine singular past active participle of kapat

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈkapal/ [ˈka.pal]
• Rhymes: -apal
• Syllabification: ka‧pal

Etymology 1

From Malay kapal (“ship”), from Classical Malay کاڤل (kapal), from Tamil கப்பல் (kappal, “ship, sailing vessel”). In the third sense, a mistranslation of English ship (“relationship”), from relation + -ship (etymologically unrelated to the noun ship), perhaps also influenced by its phono-semantic match with English couple.

Noun

kapal (plural kapal-kapal)

1. ship (a water-borne vessel generally larger than a boat)
2. (chiefly in combination) ship (a vessel which travels through any medium other than across land)
3. (fandom slang) ship (a fictional romantic relationship between two characters)

Derived terms

• berkapal
• berkapal-kapal
• kapal-kapalan
• mengapalkan
• pengapal
• pengapalan
• perkapalan

• kapal andon
• kapal api
• kapal asap
• kapal asing
• kapal bantalan udara
• kapal barang
• kapal barang penumpang
• kapal bendera
• kapal cuaca
• kapal curah
• kapal dagang
• kapal feri
• kapal geladak rata
• kapal haji
• kapal hidrofoil
• kapal ikan
• kapal induk
• kapal isap produksi
• kapal kabel
• kapal kargo
• kapal keceh
• kapal kelotok
• kapal kemanusiaan
• kapal kepil
• kapal kerakah
• kapal keruk
• kapal kontainer
• kapal latih
• kapal layar
• kapal makoka
• kapal meriam
• kapal mil
• kapal motor
• kapal motor cepat
• kapal mualim
• kapal negara
• kapal niaga
• kapal otok-otok
• kapal pamer
• kapal pandu
• kapal pantai
• kapal patroli
• kapal pecah
• kapal pemburu
• kapal pemecah es
• kapal penangkap ikan
• kapal penarik
• kapal pendarat
• kapal pengangkut
• kapal pengangkut ikan
• kapal pengebor
• kapal pengumpan
• kapal penjelajah
• kapal penolong
• kapal penumpang
• kapal penyapu ranjau
• kapal penyeberangan
• kapal penyelamat
• kapal penyusur
• kapal perambuan
• kapal perang
• kapal perikanan
• kapal perintis
• kapal perusak
• kapal pesiar
• kapal pesiar asing
• kapal peti kemas
• kapal pos
• kapal primadona
• kapal pukat
• kapal putih
• kapal roro
• kapal samudra
• kapal selam
• kapal selam nuklir
• kapal suar
• kapal sungai
• kapal tambangan
• kapal tangki
• kapal tanker
• kapal terbang
• kapal ternak
• kapal tiara
• kapal transpor
• kapal tunda
• kapal uap
• kapal udara
• kapal wisata
• kapal wisata asing

Etymology 2

From Malay kapal (“thickening skin”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kapal (“thick, as a plank”). Compare to Tagalog kapal (“thick”).

Noun

kapal (plural kapal-kapal)

1. thickening skin; lichenification

Derived terms

• kapalan
• mengapal

Further reading

• “kapal”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*kapal”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Javanese

Romanization

kapal

1. romanization of ꦏꦥꦭ꧀

Mag-Anchi Ayta

Etymology

Borrowed from Tagalog kapal.

Adjective

kapal

1. thick

References

• Greenhill, S.J., Blust. R, & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271-283.

Maguindanao

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay kapal.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Maguindanaon) IPA^(key): /ˈkapal/ [ˈka.pʌɭ]
• Rhymes: -apal
• Syllabification: ka‧pal

Noun

kapal

1. ship

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkapal/ [ˈka.pal]
• Rhymes: -apal
• Hyphenation: ka‧pal

Etymology 1

From Tamil கப்பல் (kappal, “ship, sailing vessel”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

kapal (Jawi spelling کاڤل, plural kapal-kapal or kapal²)

1. A large water vessel; a ship.

   Kapal satu, nakhoda dua ― saying about two lovers fighting in rivalry over a girl (lit. 'a ship with two captains')

   1. (chiefly in combination) Any vessel travelling through any medium other than across land, such as an airship or spaceship.

Derived terms

Affixations

• berkapal
• berkapal-kapal
• kapalkan
• pengapalan
• perkapalan

Compounds

• kapal angkasa
• kapal api, kapal asap
• kapal baling
• kapal barang
• kapal belangkas
• kapal calu
• kapal dagang, kapal niaga
• kapal feri
• kapal haji
• kapal induk
• kapal kargo
• kapal keruk
• kapal kontena
• kapal korek
• kapal laut
• kapal layar
• kapal motor
• kapal pandu
• kapal pemair
• kapal pembinasa
• kapal pemburu
• kapal pemecah ais
• kapal pendarat
• kapal penempur
• kapal pengangkut
• kapal pengantar, kapal pengiring, kapal pengawal
• kapal penjelajah
• kapal penumpang
• kapal penyapu periup api
• kapal penyeberangan
• kapal penyusur
• kapal perang
• kapal perintis
• kapal peronda
• kapal perosak
• kapal pesiar
• kapal pesiaran
• kapal pukat
• kapal roda lambung
• kapal selam
• kapal stim, kapal wap
• kapal tangki
• kapal terbang
• kapal torpedo
• kapal udara

Descendants

• Ambonese Malay: kapal
• Indonesian: kapal
  • → Balinese: kapal
• → Alorese: kapal
• → Balinese: kapal
• → Buginese: kappala'
• → Hokkien: 夾板 / 夹板 (kap-pán)
• → English: kappal, capel, kapal
• → Javanese: ꦏꦥꦭ꧀ (kapal)
• → Khmer: កប៉ាល់ (kaʼpal)
• → Maguindanao: kapal
• → Maranao: kapal
• → Sundanese: kapal
• → Tboli: kafal
• → Tausug: kappal
• → Thai: กำปั่น (gam-bpàn)
  • → Lao: ກຳປັ່ນ (kam pan)
  • → Khmer: កងព័ន្ធ (kɑɑngpŏənthɔɔ) (possibly)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kapal (“thick, as a plank”). Compare to Tagalog kapal (“thick”).

Noun

kapal (plural kapal-kapal or kapal²)

1. Thickening skin; lichenification.

Derived terms

• kapalan

References

• Pijnappel, Jan (1875), “کڤل kapal”, in Maleisch-Hollandsch woordenboek, John Enschede en Zonen, Frederik Muller, page 84
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1901), “کڤل kapal”, in A Malay-English dictionary, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh limited, pages 522-3
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1932), “kapal”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume I, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 508

Further reading

• "kapal" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*kapal”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Maranao

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay kapal

Noun

kapal

1. ship

   Synonyms: bapor, barko, mospil

2. boat

   Synonym: biday

3. vessel

References

• Howard P. McKaughan, Batua A. Macaraya (1967), A Maranao Dictionary‎^[1] (overall work in Maranao and English), University of Hawaii Press

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• capal — obsolete, Spanish-based spelling

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /kaˈpal/ [k̠ɐˈpal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ka‧pal

Etymology 1

From Western Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kapal or Proto-Austronesian *kaS(ə)pal. Compare Indonesian kapal (“thickening skin”) and Malay kapal (“thickening skin”).

Noun

kapál (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜉᜎ᜔)

1. thickness
2. multitude; numerousness

   Synonyms: dami, tambak, sagana, damulas, katerba

3. (colloquial, derogatory) ellipsis of kapal ng mukha

   Ang kapal talaga ng hayop na yun!

   The shamelessness of that animal!

Derived terms

• kakapalan
• kapal ng mukha
• kapalan
• kumapal
• magpakapal
• makapal
• pagkapal
• pakapalin
• pampakapal

Etymology 2

Unknown. Possibly related to etymology 1 or an apocope from Malay kepala (“head, source (metaphorical)”), from Sanskrit कपाल (kapāla, “head”).

Noun

kapál (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜉᜎ᜔)

1. figure; creation

   Synonyms: likha, lalang, gawa

2. cake out of bread; tart

   Synonym: keyk

   kapal na tinapay ― cake of bread

3. lump made of wax

   kapal na pagkit ― lump of wax

Derived terms

• ikapal
• ipakapal
• kapalin
• kumapal
• Maykapal

Further reading

• “kapal”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “kapal”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Noceda, Fr. Juan José de; Sanlucar, Fr. Pedro de (1860), Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, compuesto por varios religiosos doctos y graves, y coordinado por…, ultimamente aumentado y corregido por varios religiosos de la Orden de Agustinos calzados.‎^[2] (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: Ramírez y Giraudier.
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*kapal”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*kaS(e)pal”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Anagrams

• kalap, pakla, plaka