The Cebuano/Bisaya word dili maayo means “not good / unwell”. Pronounced DI-li ma-AH-yo, it is used as an adjective by native Cebuano speakers across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This page covers what dili maayo means in Bisaya, how to pronounce it correctly, how to use it in a sentence, and related words in the same category.
Bisaya word
dili maayo
English meaning
not good
Part of speech
Adjective
In Bisaya (Cebuano), dili maayo translates to “not good / unwell”. The word covers a range of closely related meanings — not good, unwell — and the right choice depends on context.
As an adjective in the Adjectives category, “dili maayo” is part of the core Bisaya vocabulary that learners encounter early on. Native speakers use it across all registers — casual home conversations in Cebu, busy marketplaces in Bohol, and everyday interactions throughout the Visayas and Mindanao.
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable — say it louder and slightly longer.
Bisaya stress is phonemic — the wrong stress can make a word hard for native speakers to recognise. For dili maayo, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in DI-li ma-AH-yo. A good technique is to clap on the stressed syllable as you say the word: di-li ma-ah-yo. Once the rhythm is natural, drop the clapping and let muscle memory take over.
Bisaya adjectives like "dili maayo" (not good) typically come before the noun they describe, similar to English. You can intensify them using "kaayo" — for example, "dili maayo kaayo" means "very not good". Negation is done with "dili" (not) or "wala" depending on context. Mastering descriptive adjectives like "dili maayo" is one of the quickest ways to make your Bisaya sentences richer and more expressive.
Expand your vocabulary by learning other Bisaya adjectives in the same category as “dili maayo”.
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