The Cebuano/Bisaya word nilaga means “boiled / boiled dish”. Pronounced ni-LA-ga, it is used as an adjective across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This guide covers what nilaga 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), nilaga translates to “boiled / boiled dish”. The word covers closely related meanings — boiled, boiled dish — the right one depends on context.
Bisaya word
nilaga
English meaning
boiled
Part of speech
Adjective
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 nilaga, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in ni-LA-ga. Practice by saying it slowly first, then gradually speed up to natural conversational pace.
Nilaga nga manok ang ginaon namo sa Lunes.
Boiled chicken is what we eat on Mondays.
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