The Cebuano/Bisaya word sayaw means “to dance / a dance”. Pronounced SA-yaw, it is used as a verb across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This guide covers what sayaw 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), sayaw translates to “to dance / a dance”. The word covers closely related meanings — to dance, a dance — the right one depends on context.
Bisaya word
sayaw
English meaning
to dance
Part of speech
Verb
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 sayaw, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in SA-yaw. Practice by saying it slowly first, then gradually speed up to natural conversational pace.
Mosayaw ka ba sa pista?
Will you dance at the fiesta?
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