The Cebuano/Bisaya word dong means “term of address for a young boy or younger male”. Pronounced DONG, it is used as a noun across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This guide covers what dong 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), dong translates to “term of address for a young boy or younger male”.
Bisaya word
dong
English meaning
term of address for a young boy or younger male
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 dong, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in DONG. Practice by saying it slowly first, then gradually speed up to natural conversational pace.
Kumusta, dong? Naa ba si mama nimo?
How are you, young man? Is your mom home?
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