Language Guide · Grammar Reference
Bisaya Question Words: Unsa, Asa, Kinsa, Ngano & More
Every conversation in Bisaya runs on a small set of question words. Learn these ten and you can ask almost anything a stranger, a jeepney driver, or your Lola's neighbor might throw back at you.
The 10 Bisaya Question Words
Bisaya is a verb-focus language, and its question words show that clearly — several of them (unsa, unsaon, unsang) are built from the same root with different affixes, rather than being separate vocabulary the way English treats “what” and “how” as unrelated words.
| Bisaya | English | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsa | What | OON-sah | Unsa may imong pangalan? What is your name? |
| Asa | Where (going / location) | AH-sah | Asa ka padulong? Where are you headed? |
| Hain | Where (a specific thing) | HAH-in | Hain ang akong susi? Where is my key? |
| Diin | Where (from / origin) | DEE-in | Diin ka gikan? Where are you from? |
| Kinsa | Who | KIN-sah | Kinsa ni siya? Who is this / she? |
| Ngano | Why | NGAH-no | Ngano man ka naghilak? Why are you crying? |
| Kanus-a | When | kah-NOOS-ah | Kanus-a ka moabot? When will you arrive? |
| Unsaon | How (to do something) | oon-SAH-on | Unsaon nako pag-adto didto? How do I get there? |
| Pila | How much / how many | PEE-lah | Pila ni? How much is this? |
| Unsang | Which / what (+ noun) | oon-SAHNG | Unsang oras na? What time is it now? |
How to Use Each Question Word
Unsa — What
Unsa is the single most common Bisaya question word. “Unsa man ni?” (What is this?) and “Unsa imong buhaton?” (What will you do?) come up constantly. Unsa is also a building block — unsang (which/what before a noun), unsaon (how, to be done), and giunsa (how, already done) are all unsa wearing a different affix.
Asa, Hain, and Diin — Three Words for “Where”
English gets by with one “where.” Bisaya uses three, chosen by what exactly you're asking about. Asa is the everyday default for location and direction — “Asa ka padulong?” (Where are you headed?). Hain narrows in on one specific, often missing, thing — “Hain ang akong susi?” (Where is my key?) — or asks someone to choose between options. Diin leans toward origin or source — “Diin ka gikan?” (Where are you from?) — though many Cebuanos also use asa here. In casual speech the three overlap heavily; asa alone will get you through most conversations, but recognizing hain and diin when you hear them prevents real confusion.
Kinsa — Who
“Kinsa ka?” (Who are you?) and “Kinsa may nagdala ani?” (Who brought this?) are the standard patterns. Kinsa also softens introductions — “Kinsa may pangalan nimo?” is a gentler way to ask someone's name than the more direct “Unsa imong pangalan?”
Ngano — Why
“Ngano man?” on its own means “Why?” or “How come?” A full question looks like “Ngano man ka naulahi?” (Why are you late?). Answers almost always open with kay (because): “Kay naa koy meeting” (Because I had a meeting).
Kanus-a — When
Kanus-a asks about time in general — a date, a day, a moment. “Kanus-a ka moabot?” (When will you arrive?) and “Kanus-a ni sugod?” (When did this start?) both use the same word regardless of whether you're asking about the future or the past.
Unsaon / Giunsa — How
Bisaya builds “how” out of unsa (what) plus a verb affix rather than using a separate word. Unsaon asks about a method not yet done — “Unsaon nako pagluto ani?” (How do I cook this?). Giunsa asks about something already completed — “Giunsa nimo pagbuhat ni?” (How did you do this?).
Pila — How Much / How Many
Bisaya doesn't split “how much” and “how many” into separate words — pila covers both. “Pila ni?” (How much is this?) is essential market vocabulary. “Pila ka buok?” asks how many pieces, and “Pila na imong edad?” asks someone's age — literally, “how much is your age.”
Answering a Bisaya Question
Knowing the question words is half the skill — recognizing how Cebuanos answer them is the other half. A few patterns come up constantly:
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the question words in Bisaya?
The core Bisaya (Cebuano) question words are: unsa (what), asa (where — going/location), hain (where — a specific thing), diin (where — origin), kinsa (who), ngano (why), kanus-a (when), unsaon (how, method), and pila (how much/how many). Together they cover the same ground as English's 5W1H — who, what, where, when, why, and how — plus a few Bisaya-specific distinctions English doesn't make.
What does 'unsa' mean in Bisaya?
Unsa means 'what' — the single most common Bisaya question word, used constantly in daily conversation. 'Unsa man ni?' means 'What is this?' and 'Unsa imong buhaton?' means 'What will you do?' Unsa also combines with other words: unsang (which/what + noun), unsaon (how), and giunsa (how, past tense), all built from the same root.
What does 'asa' mean in Bisaya?
Asa means 'where' and is the everyday word for asking about location or direction — 'Asa ka?' (Where are you?), 'Asa ta mokaon?' (Where shall we eat?). It's the first 'where' word most learners pick up because it covers the vast majority of everyday where-questions about movement and location.
What is the difference between 'asa' and 'hain'?
Asa asks about location or direction in general — where someone is, where something is happening, where you're going. Hain asks about a specific, particular thing, often something missing or one option among several — 'Hain ang akong susi?' (Where is my key, specifically?) or 'Hain sa duha?' (Which of the two?). In casual speech many Cebuanos use asa for both, but hain signals you're looking for one specific item or choosing between options.
How do you say 'why' in Bisaya?
'Why' in Bisaya is ngano. 'Ngano man?' is the short, all-purpose version — 'Why?' or 'How come?' A fuller question looks like 'Ngano man ka naulahi?' (Why are you late?). Answers to ngano questions typically start with kay (because): 'Kay naa koy meeting' (Because I had a meeting).
How do you say 'when' in Bisaya?
'When' in Bisaya is kanus-a, pronounced kah-NOOS-ah. 'Kanus-a ka moabot?' means 'When will you arrive?' and 'Kanus-a ni sugod?' means 'When did this start?' Kanus-a asks about time in general — a date, a day, a moment — and pairs naturally with time words like karon (now), ugma (tomorrow), and gahapon (yesterday) in the answer.
How do you say 'how' in Bisaya?
'How' in Bisaya is usually unsaon when asking about a method or process — 'Unsaon nako pagluto ani?' (How do I cook this?). For something that already happened, the form shifts to giunsa — 'Giunsa nimo pagbuhat ni?' (How did you do this?). Both come from the same root as unsa (what); Bisaya builds its 'how' out of 'what' plus a verb affix rather than using a separate word the way English does.
How do you say 'who' in Bisaya?
'Who' in Bisaya is kinsa. 'Kinsa ka?' means 'Who are you?' and 'Kinsa may nagdala ani?' means 'Who brought this?' Kinsa is also used in polite introductions — 'Kinsa may pangalan nimo?' is a more roundabout, gentle way to ask someone's name than the direct 'Unsa imong pangalan?'
How do you ask 'how much' or 'how many' in Bisaya?
Pila covers both 'how much' and 'how many' in Bisaya — the language doesn't split them into separate words the way English does. 'Pila ni?' (How much is this?) is one of the first phrases every visitor to a Philippine market learns. 'Pila ka buok?' asks 'how many pieces,' and 'Pila na imong edad?' asks someone's age, literally 'how much is your age.'
Do Bisaya question words change form?
Yes — several Bisaya question words shift form depending on tense or what they attach to. Unsa becomes unsaon (how, to be done) or giunsa (how, already done) and unsang (which, before a noun). Asa, hain, and diin all mean roughly 'where' but are chosen based on whether you mean location, a specific missing item, or origin. This is normal for Bisaya, a verb-focus language where affixes carry a lot of the grammatical weight that separate words carry in English.
Are Bisaya question words the same as Tagalog?
No — Bisaya and Tagalog question words are almost entirely different, one of the clearest signs the two are separate languages rather than dialects. 'What' is unsa in Bisaya versus ano in Tagalog; 'where' is asa versus saan; 'who' is kinsa versus sino; 'why' is ngano versus bakit; 'when' is kanus-a versus kailan. A Tagalog speaker cannot guess Bisaya question words from their own language, and vice versa.
Keep exploring Bisaya
Sources
- Wolff, John U. A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan. Cornell University Southeast Asia Program, 1972. (Project Gutenberg #40074)
- Reviewed by native Cebuano speakers from Cebu City and Davao City, July 2026.
- Example sentences drawn from everyday conversational usage in the Visayas.