100+ Basic Bisaya Phrases (with English translations)
Everything you need for a first trip to Cebu, Bohol, or Davao — or a first chat with a Bisaya speaker.
Bisaya (Cebuano) is spoken by more than 20 million people across Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Leyte, and most of Mindanao including Davao. Locals light up when a visitor tries even a few words — and the pronunciation is friendly to beginners: say every letter, keep the vowels pure (a e i o u as in Spanish), and you’ll be understood.
Two tips before you start: ko means “I/me” and ka means “you” — you’ll see them everywhere below. And adding palihug (please) or salamat (thank you) to anything makes it polite.
Maayong buntagGood morning
Maayong udtoGood noon
Maayong haponGood afternoon
Maayong gabiiGood evening / good night
Kumusta ka?How are you?
Maayo ra koI'm fine
Ikaw, kumusta man ka?And you, how are you?
Unsa imong ngalan?What's your name?
Ako si ___I am ___
Nalipay ko nga nagkaila taNice to meet you
Asa ka gikan?Where are you from?
Taga-___ koI'm from ___
Asa ka nagpuyo?Where do you live?
Nagpuyo ko sa ___I live in ___
Adto na koI'm off / goodbye
Amping!Take care!
Magkita ra ta puhonSee you again, someday
PalihugPlease
SalamatThank you
Daghang salamatThank you very much
Walay sapayanYou're welcome
Pasayloa koI'm sorry / forgive me
TabiExcuse me (passing through)
OoYes
DiliNo / not
WalaNone / nothing
AmbotI don't know
SigeOkay / sure / go ahead
Puwede ba?May I? Is it okay?
Makasulti ka ba og English?Do you speak English?
Wala ko kasabotI don't understand
Nakasabot koI understand
Palihug usbaPlease repeat that
Hinaya palihugSlowly, please
Unsay pasabot ani?What does this mean?
Unsaon pagsulti og ___ sa Binisaya?How do you say ___ in Bisaya?
Kadiyot langJust a moment
Cebuano keeps native numbers for counting 1–10; for money, time, and anything above ten, everyday speech switches to Spanish numbers (uno, dos, bente, singkwenta…).
usaone
duhatwo
tulothree
upatfour
limafive
unomsix
pitoseven
waloeight
siyamnine
napuloten
bente / singkwentatwenty / fifty (Spanish, for money)
Pila?How much / how many?
Asa ang CR?Where is the bathroom?
Asa ang ___?Where is ___?
DiriHere
DidtoThere
WalaLeft (walá — same spelling as “none”!)
TuoRight
Diretso langJust go straight
Duol ra ba?Is it near?
Layo pa ba?Is it still far?
Adto ta sa ___Let's go to ___
Pila ang plete?How much is the fare?
Para!Stop here! (to a jeepney or bus driver)
Gutom na koI'm hungry
Uhaw koI'm thirsty
Kaon ta!Let's eat! (a common friendly invitation)
Lami kaayo!So delicious!
Busog na koI'm full
Unsa ni?What is this?
Tagai ko og tubig palihugPlease give me water
Usa ka kape palihugOne coffee, please
Halang ba ni?Is this spicy?
Halang ra kaayoIt's too spicy
Pila tanan?How much for everything? (asking for the bill)
Pila ni?How much is this?
Mahal ra kaayoToo expensive
Barato raThat's cheap
Pwede pa ba mahangyo?Can I haggle it down a bit?
Naa ba moy ___?Do you have ___?
Nagtan-aw ra koI'm just looking
Paliton nako niI'll buy this
Init kaayo karon!It's so hot today!
Nag-ulan naIt's raining
Unsa imong trabaho?What's your job?
Pila na imong edad?How old are you?
Minyo na ka?Are you married?
Gwapa kaayo kaYou're very beautiful
Gwapo kaayo kaYou're very handsome
Ganahan ko nimoI like you
Gihigugma tikaI love you
Bai / BesBuddy / bestie (friendly address)
Gikapoy koI'm tired
Katulgon koI'm sleepy
Nalipay koI'm happy
Naguol koI'm sad
Nasuko koI'm angry
Nahadlok koI'm scared
Tugnaw kaayoIt's very cold
Laay kaayoIt's so boring
Tabang!Help!
Tawga ang pulisCall the police
Kinahanglan nako og doktorI need a doctor
Sakit akong uloMy head hurts
Sakit akong tiyanMy stomach hurts
Nasaag koI'm lost
Pag-ampingBe careful
These little words are what make you sound local — Cebuano leans hard on particles and interjections.
kaayovery (Lami kaayo! — so delicious!)
gyud / judreally, definitely (Lami gyud!)
bitawright, indeed, that's true
lagisure, of course, I told you
diayoh, is that so? (Mao diay!)
Mao ba?Is that so?
Mao naThat's it / that's the one
unya nalater
puhonsomeday, God willing
Bahala naCome what may
AyawDon't
Hala!Wow! / Oh no!
Uy!Hey! (surprise, friendly)
Sus!Jeez! (mild exclamation)
Nindot / ChadaNice, beautiful (chada is slang)
Padayon!Keep going! Carry on!
Cebuano stress usually falls on the last or second-to-last syllable, vowels never reduce (unlike English), and ng is one sound, even at the start of a word (ngalan — name). The letter g is always hard. If you can say “sa-LA-mat” with crisp vowels, you’re already doing it right — and every phrase in the Bisdak na! app has audio you can imitate.
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