Ilocano→Tagalog
Free Ilocano and Tagalog translation

Waray to Hiligaynon Phrasebook

287 everyday phrases, grouped by the situation you need them in. Compiled from published references rather than generated by a translation engine, and marked pending review until native speakers have confirmed it.

Partly, and less than the geography suggests. Both are Bisayan, but Hiligaynon sits in the Western group and Waray in the Eastern, and the everyday words diverge exactly where it matters. The sharpest trap is diri: in Hiligaynon it means 'here', in Waray it means 'not'. A sentence can parse cleanly and mean the opposite of what was intended.

Phrases
287
Categories
24
Cited sources
2
Pending review
287
Hiligaynon to Waray

Showing all 287 phrases across 24 categories.

Greetings

The opener changes in every one of these languages — this is the fastest way to tell them apart.

Greetings: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Maupay nga agapending reviewMaayong agaGood morningEvery one of these is literally 'good' + 'morning', and the word for 'good' is the giveaway: maayo in the Visayan languages, maupay in Waray, marhay in Bikol, mayap in Kapampangan, maabig in Pangasinan, naimbag in Ilocano.
Maupay nga kuloppending reviewMaayong haponGood afternoon
Maupay nga gab-ipending reviewMaayong gab-iGood evening
Maupay nga adlawpending reviewMaayong adlawGood day
Kumusta ka?pending reviewKamusta ka?How are you?The one phrase that is effectively identical everywhere, because all eight borrowed it from Spanish '¿cómo está?'. Do not read that as evidence the languages are close.
Maupay manpending reviewMaayo manI'm fine
Pag-ihapending reviewHalongGoodbyeCebuano 'ayo-ayo' and Hiligaynon 'halong' both mean 'take care' rather than 'farewell'; a bare word for goodbye is uncommon in the Visayan languages, and 'bye' is what people actually say.
Maupay nga gab-ipending reviewMaayong gab-iGood night (on parting)
Maiha na kita waray magkitapending reviewDugay na kita wala magkitaayLong time no see

Courtesy

Thank you, sorry, yes and no.

Courtesy: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Salamatpending reviewSalamatThank youIlocano is the odd one out. 'Salamat' is understood in Ilocos, but 'agyamanak' — literally 'I am grateful' — is the native form and the one a speaker will use back to you.
Damo nga salamatpending reviewMadamo gid nga salamatThank you very muchThe intensifier is the tell: daghan (Cebuano), madamo (Hiligaynon), damo (Waray), dakula (Bikol), dakal (Kapampangan), dakel (Pangasinan) — all meaning 'many', none of them the Tagalog 'marami'.
Waray sapayanpending reviewWala sang anumanYou're welcomeWaray's own name comes from this construction — 'waray' is the word for 'none', and the language is named after how often outsiders heard it.
Oopending reviewHuoYesFour different words for yes across eight languages. Kapampangan 'wa' and Pangasinan 'on' are unrecognisable to a Tagalog speaker, and machine translation frequently passes them through untouched.
Diripending reviewIndiNoIlocano also uses 'saan' for no, which is a genuine trap: 'saan' is 'where' in Tagalog. Hiligaynon 'indi' and Waray 'diri' look alike but Waray 'diri' collides with Hiligaynon 'diri', meaning 'here'.
Pasayloa akopending reviewPatawara koSorryIn everyday speech 'sorry' and 'pasensya' are what most speakers actually say in all eight; the native forms above are what you will see written.
Alayonpending reviewPalihogPleaseNone of these behave like English 'please'. They are requests in their own right — Cebuano 'palihug' is closer to 'do me the favour' — and are usually attached to the verb rather than added at the end.
Tabi anaypending reviewTabi langExcuse me
Waray problemapending reviewWala problemaNo problemThe word for 'none' is the giveaway: wala, awan, walay, waray, mayo. Waray-speakers are named after theirs.
Pag-ayo-ayopending reviewHalongTake care

Introductions

Names and first meetings.

Introductions: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Ano an imo ngaran?pending reviewAno ang ngalan mo?What is your name?Kapampangan shares no root here at all — 'nanu' for what, 'lagyu' for name — which is a fair summary of how far Central Luzon sits from everything else on this list.
An akon ngaran…pending reviewAng ngalan ko…My name is…
Nalipay ako nga makilala kapending reviewNalipay ako nga makilala kaNice to meet you
Taga-hain ka?pending reviewTaga-diin ka?Where are you from?Same frame, eight different question words bolted onto it. This single row is the clearest illustration of why machine translation between these languages fails: the shared 'taga-' makes the sentence look translatable while the word that carries the meaning is unique to each.

Understanding

Getting by when you do not follow.

Understanding: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Diri ako nakakaintindipending reviewWala ko makaintiendiI don't understand
Maaram ka mag-English?pending reviewKabalo ka mag-English?Do you speak English?The verb for 'to know how' differs completely: kamao, kabalo, maaram, tataong. None of them is the Tagalog 'marunong'.
Alayon utrohapending reviewPalihog liwataPlease say it again
Alayon hinay-hinaypending reviewPalihog hinay-hinayPlease speak slowly
Ano ini?pending reviewAno ini?What is this?
Nakakaintindi akopending reviewNakaintiendi akoI understand
Ano an tawag hini?pending reviewAno ang tawag sini?What is this called?
Paonan-o ini yakanon?pending reviewPaano ini hambalon?How do you say this?

Numbers

Native numerals one to ten, which diverge sharply between the Luzon and Visayan languages.

Numbers: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Usapending reviewIsaOneCebuano and Waray 'usa' is a false friend of the highest order: in Tagalog 'usa' is a deer.
Duhapending reviewDuhaTwo
Tulopending reviewTatloThree
Upatpending reviewApatFour
Limapending reviewLimaFiveThe one numeral that survives intact across all eight — and in Pangasinan 'lima' is also the word for 'hand', which is where the numeral came from in the first place.
Unompending reviewAnumSix
Pitopending reviewPitoSeven
Walopending reviewWaloEight
Siyampending reviewSiyamNine
Napulopending reviewNapuloTenPangasinan numerals carry a counting suffix -ra that none of the others use, so 'limara' and 'samplora' look longer than their neighbours for a structural reason rather than a phonetic one.
Napulo kag usapending reviewNapulo kag isaElevenThree different strategies for building teens: Tagalog and Kapampangan prefix labing-, the Visayan languages say 'ten and one', and Bikol has a dedicated form (kagsaro).
Napulo kag duhapending reviewNapulo kag duhaTwelve
Karuhaanpending reviewKaluhaanTwentyCebuano and Hiligaynon 'kaluhaan' bears no visible relation to their own word for two, duha. Waray's 'karuhaan' shows the same form after its regular l→r shift.
Katloanpending reviewKatloanThirty
Kalim-anpending reviewKalim-anFifty
Usa ka gatospending reviewIsa ka gatosOne hundredKapampangan 'dinalan' and Pangasinan 'sanlasus' share nothing with the gatos/daan the rest use — another reminder that the Luzon languages are not a group.
Usa ka libopending reviewIsa ka liboOne thousand

Question words

Who, what, where and when — the words that differ most and trip up readers most.

Question words: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Anopending reviewAnoWhat
Hin-opending reviewSin-oWhoHiligaynon 'sin-o' and Waray 'hin-o' differ by a single consonant, and that s→h shift runs through the whole of Waray. It is the single most reliable way to tell the two apart.
Hainpending reviewDiinWhereSeven distinct words. Cebuano 'asa' is a false friend in Tagalog, where it means to hope or depend on someone.
Kakan-opending reviewSan-oWhen
Kay anopending reviewNgaaWhyKapampangan 'baket' looks like Tagalog 'bakit' and means the same thing — but it is also the Ilocano word for an old woman or a wife, so the same string means two unrelated things depending on which language you are reading.
Tagpira?pending reviewTagpila?How much?
Pira?pending reviewPila?How many?Cebuano and Hiligaynon 'pila' means 'how many'. In Tagalog 'pila' is a queue — which makes 'Pila?' one of the most commonly misread words between Manila and Cebu.

Time & days

Today, tomorrow, day and night.

Time & days: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Yanapending reviewSubongToday
Buwaspending reviewBuasTomorrowIlocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'.
Kakuloppending reviewKahaponYesterday
Adlawpending reviewAdlawDayIn the Visayan languages 'adlaw' is both the day and the sun. Tagalog keeps the same double meaning in 'araw'; Ilocano does not — 'aldaw' is the day and 'init' is the sun.
Gab-ipending reviewGab-iNight
Semanapending reviewSemanaWeek
Tuigpending reviewTuigYear
Lunespending reviewLunesMondayAll eight took the Spanish weekday names wholesale. Only Sunday diverges — see below.
Martespending reviewMartesTuesday
Miyerkulespending reviewMiyerkolesWednesday
Huwebespending reviewHuwebesThursday
Biyernespending reviewBiyernesFriday
Sabadopending reviewSabadoSaturday
Dominggopending reviewDomingoSundayTagalog is the outlier: 'Linggo' where the rest kept 'Domingo'. Pangasinan went further and uses 'Simba', from the word for churchgoing — the same root Tagalog uses for the verb 'to attend mass'.
Udtopending reviewUdtoNoon
Agapending reviewAgaMorning
Niyanpending reviewKaronLaterThe sharpest time-word trap in the Visayas. Hiligaynon 'karon' means later; Cebuano 'karon' means now. The same word moves an appointment in opposite directions.
Oraspending reviewOrasHour
Pirmipending reviewPirmeAlways

Family & people

Relationships and forms of address.

Family & people: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Iroypending reviewIloyMotherKapampangan 'ima' is a mother; Ilocano 'ima' is a hand. Two Luzon languages a hundred kilometres apart, same three letters, nothing in common.
Amaypending reviewAmayFather
Nanaypending reviewNanayMum
Tataypending reviewTatayDad
Batapending reviewBataChild'Anak' is the offspring relationship in all eight; Bikol 'aki' is the exception and is a child in general.
Bugtopending reviewUtodSiblingSix unrelated roots. Only Tagalog 'kapatid' and Kapampangan 'kapatad' match, and that is a loan rather than shared inheritance.
Lolapending reviewLolaGrandmother
Lolopending reviewLoloGrandfatherPangasinan 'laki' is a grandfather. In Tagalog, Cebuano and most of the rest, 'lalaki' is simply a man — close enough to mislead.
Sangkaypending reviewAbyanFriendEight languages, eight unrelated words. Kapampangan 'kaluguran' doubles as a term of affection, which is why 'Kaluguran daka' means 'I love you'.
Lalakipending reviewLalakiMan
Babayepending reviewBabayeWoman
Asawapending reviewAsawaSpouse'Asawa' covers husband and wife alike in seven of the eight — the sex of the spouse is not marked. Bikol 'agom' is the odd one out.
Ngaranpending reviewNgalanName
Amyawpending reviewKaingodNeighbour
Minasusopending reviewLapsagBaby
Tiyopending reviewTiyoUncle
Tiyapending reviewTiyaAunt

Food & eating

Meals, ingredients and asking for them.

Food & eating: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Bugaspending reviewBugasRice (uncooked)All eight distinguish uncooked grain from cooked rice with separate words — a distinction English has to spell out.
Lutopending reviewKan-onRice (cooked)Kapampangan 'nasi' is a Malay-shaped word that none of its neighbours share.
Isdapending reviewIsdaFishBikol and Pangasinan 'sira' is a fish. In Tagalog and Cebuano 'sira' means broken or spoiled — so a Bikolano menu can read alarmingly to a Manila reader.
Karnepending reviewKarneMeat
Manokpending reviewManokChicken
Baboypending reviewBaboyPig
Bunaypending reviewItlogEggOne of the sharpest splits in this file. 'Itlog' covers Tagalog through Hiligaynon, then Waray, Bikol, Kapampangan and Pangasinan each go their own way entirely.
Asinpending reviewAsinSaltThe province of Pangasinan is named for this word — 'pang-asin-an', the place where salt is made.
Utanpending reviewUtanVegetable
Kumaonpending reviewMagkaonTo eatIlocano, Kapampangan and Pangasinan all use 'mangan' — a genuine Luzon isogloss, and one of the very few things the three share against the Visayan 'kaon'.
Gutom na akopending reviewGutom na akoI'm hungry
Marasapending reviewNamitDeliciousEight languages, eight unrelated words for the same compliment. If you learn one word from this list, learn the local one for this.
Busog na akopending reviewBusog na akoI'm full
Tinapaypending reviewTinapayBread
Asukarpending reviewAsukarSugar
Sagingpending reviewSagingBanana
Lubipending reviewLubiCoconut
Manggapending reviewManggaMango
Maispending reviewMaisCorn
Ahospending reviewAhosGarlicThe Visayan languages took the Spanish 'ajos'; the Luzon languages kept the native 'bawang'.
Sabawpending reviewSabawSoup, broth
Matam-ispending reviewMatam-isSweet
Maaslompending reviewMaaslomSour
Mahalangpending reviewMaharangSpicy
Maalatpending reviewMaasinSalty
Maglutopending reviewMaglutoTo cook
Pingganpending reviewPingganPlate
Kutsarapending reviewKutsaraSpoon

Drinks

Water, coffee and what to order.

Drinks: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Tubigpending reviewTubigWaterThe Luzon/Visayan split in one word: danum in the north, tubig everywhere else. Tagalog sides with the Visayan languages here despite sitting on Luzon.
Kapepending reviewKapeCoffee
Gataspending reviewGatasMilk
Uminompending reviewMag-inomTo drink
Alayon hin tubigpending reviewPalihog sang tubigWater, please
Tsapending reviewTsaTea
Beerpending reviewBeerBeer
Mapaso nga tubigpending reviewMainit nga tubigHot water
Mahagkot nga tubigpending reviewMabugnaw nga tubigCold water

Market & money

Prices, haggling, paying.

Market & money: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Kwartapending reviewKwartaMoneyTagalog took 'pera' from Spanish 'perra'; everything north and south of it took 'cuarta' instead. The two are not interchangeable outside Manila.
Mahalpending reviewMahalExpensiveIn Tagalog 'mahal' means both expensive and beloved. Ilocano keeps them apart — 'nangina' for costly, 'ay-ayat' for love — so the pun does not survive translation.
Baratopending reviewBaratoCheapFour of the eight reach for the Spanish 'barato' rather than a native word, while Tagalog and Ilocano kept their own.
Pumalitpending reviewMagbakalTo buyCebuano 'palit' is to buy; in Tagalog 'palit' is to exchange or swap. Same root, opposite ends of a transaction.
Merkadopending reviewTiendahanMarket
Tagpira ini?pending reviewTagpila ini?How much is this?
Mahal hinduropending reviewMahal gidThat's too expensive
Pwede ba pakubaan?pending reviewPwede hangyo?Can you lower the price?
Magbaligyapending reviewMagbaligyaTo sell

Directions

Left, right, here, there and how far.

Directions: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Walapending reviewWalaLeftThe most dangerous word on this page. 'Wala' means left in four of these languages and 'none' in Tagalog — so a Tagalog speaker hearing directions in Cebu can understand the sentence and take the wrong turn.
Toopending reviewTuoRight
Didipending reviewDiriHereHiligaynon 'diri' is 'here'. Waray 'diri' is 'not'. The two languages are neighbours and this pair catches people constantly.
Didtopending reviewDidtoThere
Hirayopending reviewMalayoFar
Hiranipending reviewMalapitNear
Hain an kasilyas?pending reviewDiin ang kasilyas?Where is the toilet?
Kumadtopending reviewMagkadtoTo go
Diretsopending reviewDiretsoStraight ahead
Igbawpending reviewIbabawUp
Ilarompending reviewIdalomDown
Sulodpending reviewSulodInside
Gawaspending reviewGuwaOutside

Health & emergency

The phrases worth knowing before you need them.

Health & emergency: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Bulig!pending reviewBulig!Help!Worth memorising the local form before you need it. Cebuano 'tabang' is help; Hiligaynon 'tab-ang' is bland or tasteless, which is a poor thing to shout.
Doktorpending reviewDoktorDoctor
Ospitalpending reviewOspitalHospital
May sakit akopending reviewMasakit akoI am sick
Maul-ulpending reviewMasakitIt hurtsWaray 'maul-ul' and Bikol 'makulog' share nothing with the 'sakit' the other six use.
Pulispending reviewPulisPolice
Sunog!pending reviewSunog!Fire!Bikol shouts 'Kalayo!', which in Tagalog would be parsed as 'distance'. In an emergency that is the worst possible ambiguity.
Kawatan!pending reviewKawatan!Thief!
Pag-ampingpending reviewMaghalongBe careful
Nawara akopending reviewNadula akoI am lost
Hilanatpending reviewHilanatFever
Ul-ul han ulopending reviewSakit sang uloHeadache

The body

Head to foot, where several of these languages share nothing at all.

The body: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Ulopending reviewUloHeadBikol 'payo' is a head. In Tagalog 'payo' is advice — which makes it one of the neatest false friends in the country.
Matapending reviewMataEye
Kamotpending reviewKamotHandThree separate traps in one row: Ilocano 'ima' is Kapampangan for mother, Visayan 'kamot' is Tagalog for scratching, and Pangasinan 'lima' is the numeral five in every other language here.
Tiilpending reviewTiilFoot
Babapending reviewBabaMouthVisayan 'baba' is a mouth; Tagalog 'baba' is a chin, and with different stress it is also 'down'. Neighbouring body parts, different words.
Tiyanpending reviewTiyanStomach
Buhokpending reviewBuhokHair
Talingapending reviewDulungganEar
Irongpending reviewIlongNose
Ngiponpending reviewNgiponTooth
Dugopending reviewDugoBloodIlocano and Kapampangan both say 'daya' for blood — and in Tagalog and Cebuano the same word means cheating. Worth care in any medical setting.
Kasingkasingpending reviewTagipusuonHeart

Nature & weather

Sun, rain, sea and mountain.

Nature & weather: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Adlawpending reviewAdlawSunIlocano 'init' is the sun; Tagalog 'init' is heat. Related idea, different part of speech, and machine translation routinely mixes the two.
Bulanpending reviewBulanMoonSeven of the eight kept 'bulan'; Tagalog alone shifted the l to w. The same word means 'month' in all of them.
Bitoonpending reviewBituonStar
Uranpending reviewUlanRainIlocano is alone here. 'Tudo' shares nothing with the ulan/uran the other seven use.
Dagatpending reviewDagatSea
Bukidpending reviewBukidMountainTwo traps at once. Ilocano 'bantay' is a mountain; in Tagalog it is a guard. Visayan 'bukid' is a mountain; in Tagalog 'bukid' is a field or farm.
Balaypending reviewBalayHouse
Kalayopending reviewKalayoFireVisayan 'kalayo' is fire; Tagalog 'kalayo' would be parsed as 'distance'. The Luzon languages all keep apoy/apuy.
Salogpending reviewSubaRiverWaray and Bikol 'salog' looks close to Tagalog 'ilog' but is a separate root — and in Cebuano 'salog' is a floor.
Tunapending reviewDutaLand, soilSix unrelated roots for the ground under your feet, and Ilocano 'daga' collides head-on with Tagalog, where it means a rat.
Kahoypending reviewKahoyTree
Bukadpending reviewBulakFlowerIlocano 'sabong' is a flower. In Tagalog 'sabong' is cockfighting — an unusually large gap for two languages spoken on the same island.
Batopending reviewBatoStone
Hanginpending reviewHanginWind
Langitpending reviewLangitSkyPangasinan 'tawen' is the sky; Ilocano 'tawen' is a year. Two Northern Luzon languages, one word, no shared meaning.
Linogpending reviewLinogEarthquake
Bagyopending reviewBagyoTyphoon

Describing things

Big, small, good, beautiful.

Describing things: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Dakopending reviewDakuBig
Gutiaypending reviewGamaySmall
Maupaypending reviewMaayoGood
Maraotpending reviewMalainBad
Mahusaypending reviewMatahumBeautifulBikol 'magayon' is the root behind Mayon, the volcano. Waray 'mahusay' means beautiful; in Tagalog the same word means skilled or well-arranged.
Mapasopending reviewMainitHot
Mahagkotpending reviewMabugnawCold
Madagmitpending reviewMadasigFast
Bag-opending reviewBag-oNew
Daanpending reviewDaanOld (of a thing)Ilocano and the Visayan languages use 'daan' for old — the same string Tagalog uses for a road.
Lagaspending reviewTigulangOld (of a person)Ilocano 'lakay' is an old man specifically; 'baket' is the word for an old woman, and that one collides with Kapampangan 'baket', meaning why.
Damopending reviewMadamoMany
Gutiaypending reviewDiutayFew
Halabapending reviewMalabaLong
Halipotpending reviewMalip-otShort
Mabug-atpending reviewMabug-atHeavy
Limpyopending reviewMatinloClean
Mahugawpending reviewMahigkoDirty

Feelings

Saying how you are, and how you feel about someone.

Feelings: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Hinihigugma ko ikawpending reviewPalangga ta kaI love youEight languages and eight completely different verbs. This row alone answers the question of whether Philippine languages are 'dialects of each other'.
Malipayonpending reviewMalipayonHappy
Mabidopending reviewMasuboSad
Kapoypending reviewKapoyTired
Nasinapending reviewAkigAngry
Ginhihidlaw ako ha imopending reviewGinahidlaw ako sa imoI miss you
Nahahadlokpending reviewHadlokAfraid
Nakuratanpending reviewNakibotSurprised
Naumodpending reviewNatak-anBored

Colours

Basic colour terms.

Colours: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Pulapending reviewPulaRed
Busagpending reviewPutiWhite
Itompending reviewItomBlackKapampangan 'matuling' is black. Tagalog 'matulin' — one letter apart — means fast.
Asulpending reviewAsulBlue
Dalagpending reviewDalagYellow
Berdepending reviewBerdeGreenOnly Kapampangan kept a native word. The other seven took the Spanish 'verde' and never replaced it.
Kahelpending reviewKahelOrange
Abuhonpending reviewAbuhonGreyEvery one of these is built on the word for ash — abo, dapo — rather than being a colour term of its own.

Everyday verbs

The actions that carry most sentences.

Everyday verbs: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Katurogpending reviewMagtulogTo sleep
Makitapending reviewMakitaTo see
Sumatanpending reviewIsilingTo sayIlocano and Pangasinan share 'ibaga' — but in Tagalog 'baga' is an ember, and in Ilocano it is the colour red.
Maarampending reviewKabaloTo know
Karuyagpending reviewGustoTo wantKapampangan 'buri' is to want or like. In Tagalog 'buri' is a species of palm.
Humatagpending reviewMaghatagTo give
Magtrabahopending reviewMagtrabahoTo work
Lumakatpending reviewMaglakatTo walk
Magyakanpending reviewMaghambalTo speakThe Visayan languages disagree with each other completely here — sulti, hambal, yakan — which is a useful corrective to the idea that they are one language.
Pamatipending reviewMamatiTo listen
Sumuratpending reviewMagsulatTo write
Magbasapending reviewMagbasaTo read
Lumingkodpending reviewMaglingkodTo sit
Tumindogpending reviewMagtindogTo stand
Dumalaganpending reviewMagdalaganTo run
Maghulatpending reviewMaghulatTo wait
Abrihanpending reviewBuksanTo open
Sarhanpending reviewSirhanTo close
Maghugaspending reviewMaghugasTo wash
Kumadipending reviewMagkariTo come here

Months

The Spanish-derived month names, and where the spellings part company.

Months: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Eneropending reviewEneroJanuaryThe month names are Spanish in all eight languages. What varies is spelling: Tagalog respells the Spanish f as p (Pebrero), while several of the others keep Febrero.
Pebreropending reviewPebreroFebruary
Marsopending reviewMarsoMarch
Abrilpending reviewAbrilApril
Mayopending reviewMayoMay
Hunyopending reviewHunyoJune
Hulyopending reviewHulyoJuly
Agostopending reviewAgostoAugust
Septiyembrepending reviewSetyembreSeptember
Oktubrepending reviewOktubreOctober
Nobyembrepending reviewNobyembreNovember
Disyembrepending reviewDisyembreDecember

Getting around

Roads, boats, jeepneys and how to get off one.

Getting around: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Dalanpending reviewDalanRoadSeven of the eight use 'dalan'. Tagalog's 'daan' is the same root worn down, and Bikol went its own way with 'tinampo'.
Barotopending reviewBarotoBoat
Awtopending reviewSalakyanCar
Sumakaypending reviewMagsakayTo ride
Para anaypending reviewPara langStop here, please'Para' comes from Spanish 'parar', to stop, and is the universal way to get off a jeepney anywhere in the country.
Hain ka makadto?pending reviewDiin ka makadto?Where are you going?
Tiketpending reviewTiketTicket

Somewhere to stay

Rooms, doors, keys — a category where almost nothing carries between languages.

Somewhere to stay: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Yawipending reviewYabiKeyAnother row where nothing carries over. Ilocano 'tulbek' and Tagalog 'susi' share no history at all.
Purtahanpending reviewPuertahanDoor
Bintanapending reviewBintanaWindowIlocano 'tawa' is a window. In Tagalog it is laughter.
Kuwartopending reviewKuwartoRoom
Katrepending reviewKatreBed
Kasilyaspending reviewKasilyasToilet

Things to buy

Everyday items you might need to ask for.

Things to buy: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Badopending reviewPanaptonClothes
Sapatospending reviewSapatosShoes
Tambalpending reviewBulongMedicineWorth knowing before a pharmacy visit, and the source of a nasty trap: Tagalog 'gamot' is medicine, but in the Visayan languages the same word means a root.
Sabonpending reviewSabonSoap
Libropending reviewLibroBook
Papelpending reviewPapelPaper

Animals

Everyday creatures, and several of the sharpest false friends on the site.

Animals: Waray phrases with Hiligaynon and English translations
WarayHiligaynonEnglish
Ayampending reviewIdoDogFour unrelated words for the commonest domestic animal. Worth pairing with the Cebuano trap: 'aso' means smoke there, so the Tagalog word for dog is a real Cebuano word meaning something else entirely.
Udingpending reviewKuringCat
Karabawpending reviewKarabawCarabaoThe national animal, and three of the eight have their own word for it — Ilocano nuang, Kapampangan damulag, Pangasinan dueg.
Kandingpending reviewKandingGoat
Bakapending reviewBakaCow
Kabayopending reviewKabayoHorse
Halaspending reviewMan-ugSnakeFive unrelated words, and the one worth memorising before you need it. Ilocano and Pangasinan share 'uleg', which is unusual — the two rarely agree.
Tamsipending reviewPispisBirdCebuano 'langgam' is a bird; Tagalog 'langgam' is an ant. One of the most-cited false friends between the two largest languages in the country.
Yatotpending reviewIlagaRatTwo traps in one row. Ilocano 'utot' is a rat and Tagalog 'utot' is a fart; Tagalog 'daga' is a rat and Ilocano 'daga' is land or soil.
Namokpending reviewNamokMosquito

Words that trap you

These exist in both languages but mean different things. They are where confident readers get caught, and where machine translation is least reliable.

  • dirihigh risk
    In Waray
    Not, no.
    In Hiligaynon
    Here.

    Two neighbouring languages, one word, and the meanings are 'here' and 'not'. A sentence can parse cleanly and come out reversed.

How often the machine gets these right

We ran 287 Waray entries from the phrasebook below through the same engine this site uses, and compared each result against the human-written Hiligaynon. Categories are our own; the comparison ignores punctuation and casing. Neither Waray nor Hiligaynon is well resourced and the engine routes between them through English, so this measures two stacked translations rather than one.

Machine output matched or came close to the human Hiligaynon for 49.5% of 287 phrases. The rest were partly or entirely wrong.

Least reliable

  • Greetings0%
  • Everyday verbs20%
  • Market & money22%
  • Introductions25%
  • Things to buy33%

Most reliable

  • Drinks78%
  • Months75%
  • Question words71%

Sources

Last updated 2026-08-06. 287 entries are marked “pending review” — carried on general reference and awaiting confirmation from a native speaker.