The Cebuano/Bisaya word tinola means “tinola — ginger-based chicken soup with papaya and moringa leaves”. Pronounced ti-NO-la, it is used as a noun across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This guide covers what tinola 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), tinola translates to “tinola — ginger-based chicken soup with papaya and moringa leaves”.
Bisaya word
tinola
English meaning
tinola
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 tinola, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in ti-NO-la. Practice by saying it slowly first, then gradually speed up to natural conversational pace.
Nagpainit ko ug tinola para sa panihapon.
I reheated tinola for dinner.
Tinola is the go-to meal when someone is sick — considered healing and restorative.
If our free Bisaya resources helped you today, consider buying the team a coffee ☕ — it keeps the site alive and growing.