The Cebuano/Bisaya word ni means “of / by — genitive marker for personal names”. Pronounced NEE, it is used as a particle by native Cebuano speakers across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This page covers what ni means in Bisaya, how to pronounce it correctly, how to use it in a sentence, and related words in the same category.
Bisaya word
ni
English meaning
of
Part of speech
particle
In Bisaya (Cebuano), ni translates to “of / by — genitive marker for personal names”. The word covers a range of closely related meanings — of, by — and the right choice depends on context.
As a particle in the Grammar category, “ni” 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 ni, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in NEE. A good technique is to clap on the stressed syllable as you say the word: nee. Once the rhythm is natural, drop the clapping and let muscle memory take over.
"ni" (of) is an important Bisaya word to build into your vocabulary. The more high-frequency Bisaya words you know, the more quickly you will start to understand and produce natural speech. Revisit this word regularly and try to use it in a sentence today.
Expand your vocabulary by learning other Bisaya particles in the same category as “ni”.
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