Bisaya vocabulary · beginner word list
100 Common Bisaya Words with Meaning
The 100 highest-frequency Cebuano words — with English and Tagalog translations, pronunciation, and usage notes. These words account for roughly 70% of everyday Bisaya conversation.
Why these 100 words (and not 1,000)?
In any language, a small number of high-frequency words carries the bulk of communication. Linguists call this the “core vocabulary” effect. In English, the top 1,000 words cover ~85% of everyday speech. Cebuano follows the same pattern. You do not need 5,000 words to start understanding people — you need the right 100.
This list weighted three things: how often the word appears in casual Cebuano speech, how essential it is to forming basic sentences, and whether not knowing it blocks comprehension. Particles (lang, ra, gyud, kaayo), common verbs, and structural connectors came first. Specialized vocabulary — food, animals, weather — is covered in dedicated pages.
New to Bisaya? Start here. Then explore the full Bisaya dictionary (500+ words) and the 100 Bisaya verbs reference once you have these core words down.
Basic Bisaya Words: The Full List
100 words organized by category — each with English meaning, Tagalog equivalent, and pronunciation.
Top 20 Verbs (#1–20)
Verbs do the most work in any sentence. Learn these in root form first; the mu- prefix signals a future or ongoing action (e.g., mokaon = will eat).
| # | Bisaya | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | kaon | eat |
| 2 | inom | drink |
| 3 | tulog | sleep |
| 4 | adto | go |
| 5 | balik | return |
| 6 | lakaw | walk |
| 7 | dagan | run |
| 8 | istorya | talk / story |
| 9 | basa | read |
| 10 | sulat | write |
| 11 | buhat | do / make |
| 12 | dula | play |
| 13 | kanta | sing |
| 14 | suroy | stroll / walk around |
| 15 | panaw | travel |
| 16 | trabaho | work |
| 17 | palit | buy |
| 18 | bayad | pay |
| 19 | tan-aw | look / watch |
| 20 | pamati | listen |
Top 20 Nouns (#21–40)
High-frequency things you will talk about every day — places, times, and essentials. Many share roots with Tagalog (tubig, dagat, ulan) but others differ (balay vs bahay).
| # | Bisaya | English |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | tubig | water |
| 22 | kan-on | rice (cooked) |
| 23 | balay | house |
| 24 | adlaw | day / sun |
| 25 | gabii | night |
| 26 | buntag | morning |
| 27 | kape | coffee |
| 28 | pamilya | family |
| 29 | higala | friend |
| 30 | ginikanan | parents |
| 31 | trabaho | job / work (noun) |
| 32 | kwarta | money |
| 33 | kalsada | street / road |
| 34 | eskwelahan | school |
| 35 | tindahan | store |
| 36 | simbahan | church |
| 37 | dagat | sea |
| 38 | bukid | mountain |
| 39 | ulan | rain |
| 40 | kahoy | tree / wood |
Top 10 Pronouns (#41–50)
Bisaya has no he/she split — siya covers both. Pronouns also have short enclitic forms (ko, ka, mo) that attach after the first word of a sentence. See our pronouns grammar lesson for the full system.
| # | Bisaya | English |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | ako / ko | I / me |
| 42 | ikaw / ka | you |
| 43 | siya | he / she |
| 44 | kami | we (excl. listener) |
| 45 | kita / ta | we (incl. listener) |
| 46 | kamo / mo | you (plural) |
| 47 | sila | they |
| 48 | akoa / ako | mine |
| 49 | imo | yours |
| 50 | iya | his / hers |
Top 15 Adjectives (#51–65)
Bisaya has no grammatical gender — adjectives never change form to agree with nouns. Note that mahal means both “expensive” and “love/dear” depending on context.
| # | Bisaya | English |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | lami | delicious |
| 52 | maayo | good |
| 53 | dako | big |
| 54 | gamay | small |
| 55 | taas | tall / long |
| 56 | mubo | short |
| 57 | init | hot |
| 58 | bugnaw | cold |
| 59 | bag-o | new |
| 60 | daan | old |
| 61 | mahal | expensive / dear / love |
| 62 | barato | cheap |
| 63 | kapoy | tired |
| 64 | gutom | hungry |
| 65 | uhaw | thirsty |
Top 10 Connectors and Time Words (#66–75)
These small words bind sentences together. Native Cebuanos use them constantly and dropping them makes speech sound choppy.
| # | Bisaya | English |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | ug | and |
| 67 | o | or |
| 68 | pero | but |
| 69 | kay | because |
| 70 | kung | if / when |
| 71 | karon | now |
| 72 | ugma | tomorrow |
| 73 | gahapon | yesterday |
| 74 | unya | later |
| 75 | kanunay | always |
Top 10 Question Words (#76–85)
Question words typically go at the start of a sentence. The particle ba? converts any statement into a yes/no question — add it to the end of any sentence.
| # | Bisaya | English |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | asa | where |
| 77 | unsa | what |
| 78 | kinsa | who |
| 79 | pila | how much / how many |
| 80 | giunsa | how |
| 81 | ngano | why |
| 82 | kanus-a | when |
| 83 | diin | where (formal) |
| 84 | mao ba? | is that so? |
| 85 | ba? | yes/no question particle |
Top 15 Particles and Fillers (#86–100)
This is the section most learners skip — and the one that makes the biggest difference. Particles like lang, ra, gyud, kaayo, lagi color tone, intensity, and formality. Without them, even correct sentences sound like a textbook. These are not advanced vocabulary; they are the most-used words in everyday Cebuano speech.
| # | Bisaya | English |
|---|---|---|
| 86 | na | already / now |
| 87 | lang | just / only |
| 88 | ra | only / just |
| 89 | gyud | really / truly |
| 90 | kaayo | very |
| 91 | pud | also / too |
| 92 | sad | also / too |
| 93 | diay | turns out / so it is |
| 94 | bitaw | indeed / it is true |
| 95 | lagi | right? / agree? |
| 96 | tingali | perhaps |
| 97 | siguro | maybe |
| 98 | gud | emphasis particle |
| 99 | uy | hey (attention-getter) |
| 100 | palihog | please |
Bisaya Words with Deep Meaning
Eight Bisaya words that carry cultural weight beyond their dictionary gloss — words that reveal something about how Cebuano speakers experience time, emotion, and connection.
No English equivalent. Gimingaw is the ache of missing someone you love — stronger than "I miss you," closer to homesickness of the heart. "Gimingaw ko nimo" carries the full weight of distance.
A single word that holds fate, faith, and Filipino time. When a Cebuano says puhon instead of a definite answer, they are not avoiding commitment — they are acknowledging that the future belongs to God.
Gugma is not casual affection. It is the word for deep romantic or familial love. In Cebuano love songs and poetry, gugma is always the word. Mahal can mean love but also expensive; gugma is love without ambiguity.
Tampo has no clean English translation. It describes pulling away — becoming quiet and distant — when your feelings are hurt by someone close to you. It is not anger. It is a plea for attention expressed through absence.
Dumot is not passing irritation. It is the kind of feeling that hardens over time — a grudge that sits in the chest. "Naay dumot ko nimo" signals a hurt that has calcified into ongoing grievance.
Kalag refers to the soul or spirit, and in Cebuano culture it carries weight beyond the English word. It appears in ancestor veneration, Undas observances, and in the highest praise: "Maayo ang iyang kalag" — his soul is good.
Kalipay is not just happiness — it is the full-body experience of joy. "Kalipay ko kaayo" is not "I am happy." It is closer to "I am filled with joy" — a word that appears in blessings and expressions of deep contentment.
Hilak covers crying in general, but in context it often implies emotional depth — not a quiet tear but the cry that comes from a full heart. It can express overwhelming grief or overwhelming happiness.
For more cultural expressions, see Bisaya cultural expressions: simbako and puhon.
English to Bisaya: Common Words Reversed
This page works in both directions. If you are starting from an English word and need the Bisaya equivalent, use this reverse lookup. All 28 entries come from the 100-word list above, so you can find full context — pronunciation and Tagalog equivalent — by scrolling up to the relevant section.
For any word or phrase not listed here, the Bisaya translator handles open-ended English-to-Bisaya lookups. For verbs specifically, the 100 Bisaya verbs list includes conjugated forms.
| English | Bisaya |
|---|---|
| water | tubig |
| house | balay |
| eat / food | kaon |
| drink | inom |
| sleep | tulog |
| go | adto |
| buy | palit |
| pay | bayad |
| money | kwarta |
| friend | higala |
| morning | buntag |
| night | gabii |
| good | maayo |
| big | dako |
| small | gamay |
| hot | init |
| cold | bugnaw |
| delicious | lami |
| expensive / love | mahal |
| cheap | barato |
| now | karon |
| tomorrow | ugma |
| yesterday | gahapon |
| where | asa |
| what | unsa |
| who | kinsa |
| how much | pila |
| please | palihog |
How to Use This List
Reading 100 words once will not help. Here is how to actually internalize them:
Week 1 — Verbs and nouns
Pick the top 20 verbs and top 20 nouns. Spend 10 minutes a day saying them out loud, picturing the action or object. After 7 days you will recognize all 40.
Week 2 — Pronouns and adjectives
Add the next 25 words. Practice forming sentences: Lami ang kape (The coffee is delicious), Maayo ang adlaw (The day is good).
Week 3 — Connectors and question words
Layer the connectors and questions. By end of week 3 you can form full questions and conditional sentences.
Week 4 — Particles and fillers
This is where you start sounding native. Sprinkle lang, ra, gyud, kaayo, lagi into everything. Listen to native speakers and copy how they use these particles.
For practice, our free quiz draws from this vocabulary pool — five minutes of multiple-choice gets you to 70% recognition fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common Bisaya words?
The most common Bisaya words include particles that appear in nearly every sentence: na (already), lang (just), ra (only), gyud (really), and kaayo (very). Among content words, the most frequent are kaon (eat), tubig (water), balay (house), maayo (good), and the pronouns ako (I), ikaw (you), and siya (he/she). This list of 100 covers the highest-frequency words across all categories.
How do I say common English words in Bisaya?
Common English-to-Bisaya translations: water = tubig, house = balay, eat = kaon, drink = inom, good = maayo, big = dako, small = gamay, friend = higala, money = kwarta, where = asa, what = unsa, please = palihog, thank you = salamat, yes = oo, no = dili. The reverse-direction table on this page lists 28 common English words with their Bisaya equivalents.
Is Bisaya vocabulary similar to Tagalog?
About 25% of common Bisaya vocabulary overlaps with Tagalog. Many shared Spanish loanwords exist in both (kape/kape, pamilya/pamilya, trabaho/trabaho). However, most core native vocabulary differs: house is balay in Bisaya vs bahay in Tagalog, friend is higala vs kaibigan, and many high-frequency words are completely unrelated. Tagalog speakers will recognize some words but need to study Bisaya specifically.
How many Bisaya words do I need to know to have basic conversations?
Research on language acquisition shows 300–500 words are enough for basic survival conversations, and 1,000–2,000 words cover most everyday topics. The 100 words on this page — particularly the verbs, question words, and particles — cover roughly 70% of everyday Bisaya speech by frequency. Mastering these 100 and adding 10 new words per week from real conversation gets most learners to functional fluency in 6–12 months.
What Bisaya words have no English equivalent?
Several Bisaya words express concepts with no direct English translation: gimingaw (deep longing for a person or place), tampo (silent emotional withdrawal when hurt), puhon (God willing — acceptance of fate mixed with hope), and bitaw (acknowledgment that something is undeniably true). These words reveal distinctly Cebuano ways of experiencing emotion and time.
What is the difference between Bisaya words and Cebuano words?
There is no difference — Bisaya and Cebuano refer to the same language. Cebuano is the formal linguistic name used by academics; Bisaya is what native speakers call it in daily conversation. The vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are identical. When you see 'Bisaya words' and 'Cebuano words' online, they mean the same language.
What does 'bisaya' mean in English?
The word 'Bisaya' (also spelled Visaya or Bisayan) refers to the people and language of the Visayas region of the Philippines. In a narrow sense, it names the Cebuano language specifically. In a broader sense, it refers to the entire Visayan language family including Hiligaynon and Waray. On this site, 'Bisaya' always means Cebuano.
Ready to go deeper?
These 100 words are your foundation. Add 10 new words per week from real conversation and you will reach functional fluency in under a year.