The Cebuano/Bisaya word balikawang means “waist / hips”. Pronounced ba-li-KA-wang, it is used as a noun across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This guide covers what balikawang means in Bisaya, how to pronounce it, when to use it, common example sentences, and how it compares to similar Cebuano words.
In Bisaya (Cebuano), balikawang translates to “waist / hips”. The word has multiple closely related meanings: waist, hips, all used depending on context.
Bisaya word
balikawang
English meaning
waist
Part of speech
Noun
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable — say it louder and slightly longer.
Bisaya stress is phonemic, meaning the wrong stress can change a word's meaning or make it unrecognisable to native speakers. For balikawang, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in ba-li-KA-wang. Practice by saying it slowly first, then gradually speed up to natural conversational pace.
Masakit ang iyang balikawang human sa trabaho.
Her waist hurts after work.
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