Waray Polite Words and Phrases with Tagalog Translations
10 courtesy in Waray, each with its Tagalog equivalent and an English gloss. Entries come from our phrasebook, compiled from published references rather than produced by the translation engine. Waray entries are marked pending review until a native speaker has confirmed them.
Courtesy
Thank you, sorry, yes and no.
| Waray | Tagalog | English |
|---|---|---|
| Salamatpending review | Salamat | Thank 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 review | Maraming salamat | Thank 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 review | Walang anuman | You'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 review | Oo | YesFour 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 review | Hindi | NoIlocano 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 review | Paumanhin | SorryIn 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 review | Pakiusap | PleaseNone 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 review | Makikiraan po | Excuse meTabi is the shared form: Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol all build on it and differ only in what follows — lang, anay, po. Tagalog makikiraan and Ilocano umisu man share nothing with it, or with each other. |
| Waray problemapending review | Walang problema | No problemThe word for 'none' is the giveaway: wala, awan, walay, waray, mayo. Waray-speakers are named after theirs. |
| Pag-ayo-ayopending review | Ingat ka | Take careCebuano ayo-ayo and Hiligaynon halong appear again as those languages' entry for goodbye. A Visayan farewell is usually an instruction to look after yourself rather than a word for parting. |
More Waray word lists
- Waray Numbers17
- Waray Days, Months and Time Words19
- Waray Family and People Words22
- Waray Food and Eating Words28
- Waray Directions and Travel Words13
- Waray Emergency and Health Phrases12
- Waray Words for Parts of the Body26
- Waray Words for Nature and Weather38
- Waray Adjectives and Describing Words33
- Waray Everyday Verbs50
- Waray Months of the Year12
- Waray Words for Animals17
Sources
- Waray phrasebook — Wikivoyage. Accessed 2026-08-13.
- Appendix: Waray-Waray Swadesh list — Wiktionary. Accessed 2026-08-17.
- Tagalog phrasebook — Wikivoyage. Accessed 2026-08-13.
- Appendix: Austronesian Swadesh lists — Wiktionary. Accessed 2026-08-17.