List of Waray Words: Cebuano to Waray

This list began as my personal reference while translating between Cebuano and Waray for a literary project. It has now about 100-200 words. I'm sharing it here in the hope that it helps students, writers, and fellow language learners. This is a work in progress. That means, I'll be updating this as often as I can. By the way, some Cebuano words are also used in Waray with the same form and meaning. For example, dahon in Cebuano is also dahon in Waray. 

You can use CTRL+F to quickly find specific words. If you spot any errors or would like to suggest additional words, feel free to leave a comment or message me so I can update this list. Salamat! (Note: ES stands for Eastern Samar, NS for Northern Samar).

A

Abaga - sugbong

Adlaw (day) - adlaw

Adlaw (sun) - adlaw; sudang (NS)

Ahos - ahos; lasona

Aligri - marisyo; maribhong
Alimuot - mapaso

Amahan - amay

Ambak - lukso

Amiga - sangkay nga babaye

Amigo - sangkay nga lalaki

Amping - paghirot

Andam - andam

Arte/artihon - maarte; maartehon

Asa (where) - hain

Atoli - kulali

Atop - atop

Awaan - aw-anon; aawaon

B

Badlunga - sawaya; suhaya 

Badlungon - pasarawayon; pasusuhayon (NS)

Baga (thick; makapal) - madakmol

Bagsok - bata

Bakak - buwa

Bakakon - buwaon

Bakikaw (awkward) - malain

Balaud - balaud

Bali - balikad

Balibad - baribad

Bana - asawa nga lalaki

Bangag (hole) - buho; luho

Bintaha - mas maupay

Binignit - ginat-an

Bata - bata

Bati - maraksut; maraut; mabara

Bitaw - balitaw

Bugas (pimple) - punggod

Bugas (rice) - bugas

Bugnaw - mahagkot; mapinit (NS)

Bugo - bulok

Bukog - tul-an
Bulak - bukad

Bulawan - bulawan

Buntag - aga

Butong (butong sa lubi) - silot

D

Dagway - nawong; hitsura

Dalunggan/dunggan - talinga

Datu - riko; mayaman

Diay - ngayan; ngay-an

Diha - dida

Diin - diin

Dili - diri

Diri - didi; dinhi

Dodong - Budoy; Entoy; Totoy

Dugay - maiha
Dungog - dungog; reputasyon

Duol - harani

Duwaan - mulayan; uyagan (NS)

G

Gabii - gab-i

Gahi - matig-a; matugas

Garboso/a - mapahitas-on

Gipakaulawan/gipakauwawan - ginpakaalohan

Gisinggitan - gin-guliatan; gin-gagasuran (NS)

Gitara - gitara

Gitarista - gitarista

Gwapa - mahusay; mabaysay

Gwapo - gwapo

H

Habol - taklap; taplak

Hagbong - bagsak; hulog

Halas - halas

Hanas - makarit; listo

Hapon - kulop

Higala - sangkay

Hilanat - hiranat

Hinlo - malimpyo

Hiwi - baliko

Hugaw adj - mahugaw; marigna; marigsok

Hugaw n - hugaw; rigsok; rigna

Hulmigas - harumigas; tigasaw

Humay - humay; paray

I

Ig-agaw - patud

Igsuon - bugto

Ihayhay - ipalaypay

Ilahi - ilain; ibulag

Ilhanan - tigaman

Ilong - irong

Inahan - iroy

Init - mapaso

Ingon - siring; sugad

Iring - iring; iding; uding; ipo; misay

Ipaduol - ipaharani

Ipalayo - ipahirayo
Ipis - bangka

Iro - ayam
Isog - mapintas

Itom - itom; pili (NS)

Itoy (puppy) - itoy; ido

Itudlo - itutdo

Iyaan - dada

K

Kaayo - duro; uraura

Kadiyot - kadali
Kaingnon - kasiring; kasabot

Kalsada - kalsada; sigad 

Kana - iton

Kaniadto - hadto; sadto

Kan-on - kanon; kan-on; luto

Kanunay - pirme

Kanus-a - kakan-o; san-o

Karsones - sarwal

Kauwaw - makaarawod; makaaralo

Kayo - kalayo

Kiat - makiwa

Kinsa - hino; hin-o; sin-o
Kiwaw - 

Kugmo - dungot

Kutob - tubtob

L

Lagay - otin; buto; putoy; silinggoy
Lagutmon - duma

Lahi - iba

Lami - marasa

Lamot - halot

Landang - ginat-an

Langgam - tamsi

Lapalapa - rapadapa

Lapok - lagay

Layo - harayo

Ligid - lidong

Lingin - lipuyok

Lingkuranan - lingkuranan; lingkuran

Liso - liso; uyas (NS)

M

Maayo - maupay

Mabdos - burod

Magminyo - mag-aasawa

Magpaduol - mahirani

Magpalayo - mapahirayo

Mantika - mantika; asyete (NS)

Mangayo v. - maaro; mag-aaro

Maut - maraksut; maraut; mabara

Maulaw/mauwaw - maawod; maalo

Maulawan/mauwawan - maaluhan

Maulawon/mauwawon - awdanon; aaluhon

Minyo - may asawa

Miyay - iring; iding; uding; ipo; misay

N

Nagpakauwaw - nagmakaarawod; nagmakaaralo

Nagtapun-og - natambak

Nahibong/nahibulong - napausa; nahimangraw

Nakuratan - nakalasan; kinalasan

Nalubatan - nakalasan; kinalasan

Nasuko - nag-isog

Nawala - nawara

Nawong - kahimo

Nikatkat - nagsaka

Nindot - maupay

Ningbalibad - nagbaribad; diniri (NS)

Ninglili - naghiling; nagsil-ing (NS)

Ningpuli - sinaliwan

Nipis - manipis

Ng
Naligo - kinarigo; kinmarigo; pinarigo

Ngabil/wait - im-im

Ngano - kay ano; kay nano

Ngil-ad - maraksut; maraut; mabara

Ngil-aron - malain

Ngilngig - makangingirhat

Ngipon - ngipon; tango (NS)

P

Pagduaw - pagbisita

Pagsulti - pagsiring; pagsugad

Pagsuway - pagsulay

Pait - mapait

Pamahaw - pamahaw

Pan - tinapay

Pananghid - pagsarit

Panihapon - panihapon; pangiklop (NS)

Paninguha - panalinguha

Paniundto - paniudto; panginadaw (NS)

Pangalan - ngaran

Parat - maasin

Pari - padi

Pasi - tipasi

Paspas - malaksi

Pasundoga - pakopyaha

Pila (how many/much) - pira

Pisot - piyos

Pula - pula; baga (NS)

Pultahan - purtahan; sada

Puti - busag

R

Relo - relo

S
Saba - maaringasa; maliya

Sagbot - banwa

Sagol - salakot

Samot - labaw pa

Sihag - masilhag

Silhig - siphid; silhig

Sili - sili; katsumba (NS); harang (NS)

Silingan - amyaw; hipid

Silot - sirot

Simhuta - amyuna

Simhuton - amyunon

Sin - yero

Sinina - bado

Singot - hulat

Sinturon - sinturon; takgong (NS)

Singgit - guliat; gagasud

Sista - sista

Sud-an - sura; igsura (NS)

Suko - nag-iisog; nasisina

Sulti - siring; sugad

Sultian - sidngan; sugaron

Sundog - kopya

Suwaw - masuliaw

Suwayi - sarihi

Suwayan - sarihan

Syagit/singgid - guliat; gagasud

T

Taas (tall; mataas; matangkad) - hitaas; hataas

Taas (long; mahaba) - hilaba; halaba

Tab-ang - matab-ang; matapsi

Tagaan - hatagan

Taghoy - taghoy

Tagsa - talagsa
Talawan - matalaw

Tambok - matambok; mataba

Taym pa - ayaw anay; ayaw ngun-a 

Tam-is - matam-is

Tihik - pispis; kuripot

Tiil - tiil; siki

Timailhan - tigaman

Tindog - tukdaw; tugbos (NS)

Tinunoan - hinatukan; linumpan (NS)

Totoy - suso

Tudlo (finger) - tudlo
Tudlo (to point/to teach) - tutdo

Tudloan - tutdoan

Tudloi - tutdoi

Tugnaw - mahagkot; mapinit (NS)

Tuhod - tuhod

Tuslo - dudu

U

Ugangan - ugangan

Unsa - ano; nano/anano (NS)

Usahay - usahay; danay

Uyoan (tito; uncle) - bata

W

Wala (nothing/none) - waray; wara
Wala (left/kaliwa) - wala

Y

Yuta - tuna

How to cite this blog post:

Warayblogger (2025, December). List of Waray Words: Cebuano to Waray. Retrieved from 
https://www.warayblogger.com/2025/12/list-of-waray-words-cebuano-to-waray.html

Blogging in the Age of Influencers

The meaning of the word "blogging" has undergone some transformation since 2008. In the late 2000s, to call yourself a blogger typically meant you maintained a blog (short for web log) – a personal or topical website where you wrote entries. Blogging was associated with writing skill, personal voice, commentary, and sometimes advocacy.  

Photo from Unsplash

As early as 2008, I was already blogging for Triond, a website that paid its writers. That's where I met blogger friends who were starting their personal blogs and buying their own domain names. We formed a small circle of writers, contributing to both Triond and our own blogs. We wrote about events in our hometowns, regional festivals, local delicacies, and how-to guides. After all, we had access to stories and information that national newspapers or television networks overlooked. By documenting these, we were putting our places and communities on the internet map, giving them an online presence they previously lacked. The point was simple: to publish something on the World Wide Web and provide information for people who were searching for answers. That's how my Waray language tutorials began, but I'll save that story for another post.

I learned the bloggers' jargon: search engine optimization (SEO), page rank, evergreen topics, landing pages, backlinks, blogrolls, and so on. The bigger, more successful bloggers advised us to write at least 250 words – later, 500 words – per blog post so our articles would be noticed by internet crawlers and, hopefully, land on the first page of search engine results.

Many of us, niche bloggers in travel, food, politics, personal essays, were competing for higher webpage ranks. We celebrated when our blogs finally got ranked, signaled by a colored page rank (green or blue) instead of the dreaded gray one. A gray rank meant zero. But even that was preferable to an N/A, which indicated your blog hadn't been noticed by the website crawlers at all. These crawlers, or bots, systematically scanned websites, indexed them for search engines, and determined whether your content would appear in search results. Beyond numbers and ranks, we were writers first, often with loyal, organic readerships.

Page rank from smallseotools.com

Now, in the 2020s, the term blogger has become a fuzzier, almost diluted identity. It's often conflated with influencer, content creator, or vlogger. Many who call themselves bloggers today hardly write at all. They post updates on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube and consider those updates as blogging, even if they don't maintain a traditional blog or compose substantial captions.

The term's prestige as a writer's identity has been somewhat lost in the avalanche of visual-first, instant-update culture.

Why did this happen? The rise of social media made it far easier for anyone to post rather than write. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok emphasized visual content, sidelining long-form writing. The monetization and commodification of personal brands encouraged people to adopt the blogger label for credibility, even when their output wasn't writing-focused.

What's left of the old dignity? It survives, in small circles: among literary bloggers, essayists, and thought leaders who maintain long-form blogs. In those corners of the internet (we used to call it blogosphere in the 2000s), the term blogger can still imply a writerly identity. But in the broader digital culture, it has morphed into a looser synonym for online personality.

To my fellow bloggers, I'm still here – trying to earn some passive income, wrestling with the algorithms, and stubbornly hanging on to the identity of blogging. (Oh, how I miss those days when we were actively visiting each other's blogs, leaving comments hoping to drive some traffic to our own blogs. 😄)

Waray Hugot Lines

 It’s been a while since I last updated this blog -- but what better way to make a comeback than with something we Warays are naturally good at: hugot lines. (Haha.)

"Hugot" is a Filipino slang word that literally means “to pull,” but in the world of social media and pop culture, it refers to deep, emotional one-liners usually about love, heartbreak, and life’s ironies. While hugot lines are popular in Tagalog, the Waray language has its own unique brand of humor and drama when it comes to matters of the heart.

Today, I am sharing a fresh collection of Waray hugot lines -- some funny, some painful, and some beautifully bittersweet. Because whether we admit it or not, each of us has had that one person who left us with a line we will never forget.

Photo by Sasha Matic

1. Bisan an kendi ginpapalit. Ako ngani, pirme la libre.

2. Gin-una ko ikaw ha tanan, pero ha imo listahan, waray an akon ngaran.

3. Siring nira, may rason kun kay ano nga an duha nga tawo nagkakakilala. Pero kay ano nga an aton istorya, waray nagpadayon?

4. An imo 'kumusta' amo an akon adlaw.

5. Gin-ataman ko an imo mga samad bisan kun ako an nasasakitan.

6. Diri ako baso nga basta la ginbabayaan sa lamisa. Tawo ak. Nasusul-an.

7. Damo an puyde, pero ikaw an akon karuyag.

8. Malabay an mga panahon, pero an imo ngaran, magpapabilin ha akon.

9. Kanugon han mga pulong nga waray nasiring. Kanugon liwat han mga panahon nga nag-agi.

10. Siring nira, kun para ha imo, mabalik. Pero may mga butang nga para na unta ha imo, ginpasagdan mo la.

Kamo na an bahala magsumpay! :-)

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If you want to help me keep this little online space alive, you may support me by visiting my Salamat, Sangkay post. Your donation will go to site maintenance, coffee breaks, and creative time. Salamat ha. 

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How to cite this blog post:

Warayblogger (2025, June). Waray Hugot Lines. Retrieved from Warayblogger.com: Waray Hugot Lines

Salamat, Sangkay

A' bugas, pinapalit. A' igsura (sud-an), pinapalit liwat. A' ako posts? Libre la! 😄 Ku' karuyag pa niyo magbasa about anything Waray, puyde ak' niyo palitan si' kape sa Ko-fi o tangwayan sa Paypal. Mas masayon liwat, sa GCash:

Balitaw, mga sangkay, with a little help from you, we can keep this online corner alive. If you want to say hi and send your support, feel free to message me on Messenger or via this page. Salamat! 💖