Cebuano and Waray-Waray are two major Bisayan languages of the Philippines with the most native speakers, both descended from a last common ancestor called Proto-Bisayan. Cebuano is spoken in Cebu, eastern Negros island, Bohol, western & southern Leyte and most of Mindanao. Waray-Waray (also called Waray, Winaray or Samareño) is a Central Bisayan language spoken in Samar and Eastern Leyte. Cebuano and Waray-Waray are closely related, both being Bisayan languages, and shares many cognates, but they are not mutually intelligible, and there are also many false friends and false cognates speakers of both languages can encounter.
Unless otherwise indicated, Cebuano terms listed here usually refer to General Cebuano words, that is, those from the de facto prestige dialect of Cebuano spoken around Carcar in Cebu. For Waray-Waray, terms used in the standard dialect spoken in Tacloban is used. Where no accent is provided, the word is pronounced with second-to-final (penultimate) stress.
Cebuano and Waray-Waray have striking similarities in core, inherited vocabulary.
Below is a list of terms shared between Cebuano and Waray-Waray, as well as cognates. Also included is a English translation or gloss, and a Proto-Bisayan reconstruction (following Zorc 1977). Some of the terms are inherited directly from Proto-Central Philippine, Proto-Philippine or Proto-Malayo-Polynesian with no changes.
| English | Cebuano | Waray-Waray | Proto-Bisayan |
|---|---|---|---|
| afternoon | hapon | hapon | *hapun |
| back | likód | likód | *likúd |
| because | tungod | tungod | *təŋud |
| bile | apdo | apdo | *qapdu |
| blood | dugo | dugo | *duguq |
| body hair; down | balhibo | barahibo | *badahibu |
| to breathe | ginhawa | ginhawa | *ginhawa |
| to choose | pilì | pilì | *piliq |
| cooked rice; food | kan-ón | kan-on | *kaqən-ən |
| cough | ubó | ubó | *qubuh |
| depth | dalom | dalom | *daləm |
| devil | yawà | yawà | *yawaq |
| to eat | kaon | kaon | *kaqən |
| egg | itlóg | itlóg | *qitlug |
| eight | waló | waló | *walú |
| to be happy | lipay | lipay | *lipay |
| to fear | hadlok | hadlok | *hadluk |
| fingernail; claw | kuko | kuko | *kukuh |
| fire | kalayo | kalayo | *kalayu |
| five | lima | lima | *lima |
| front | atubang | atubang | *qatubaŋ |
| to get | kuha | kuha | *kuhaq |
| to go missing; to lose | walà | wara | *wadaq |
| hand | kamot | kamot | *kamət |
| heart | kasingkasing | kasingkasing | *kasiŋkasiŋ |
| heavy | bug-at | bug-at | *bəgqat |
| hot | init | init | *qínit |
| house | baláy | baláy | *baláy |
| hulled rice | bugás | bugás | *bəgas |
| human person | tawo | tawo | *tau |
| hundred | gatos | gatos | *gatus |
| I | akó | akó | *aku |
| to know | hibalo | hibalo | *hi-badu |
| left | wala | wala | *walah |
| lightning | kilát | kilát | *kilat |
| louse | kuto | kuto | *kutu |
| to love | higugma | higugma | *hi-gəgma |
| middle | tungâ | tungâ | *təŋaq |
| moon; month | bulan | bulan | *bulan |
| night | gabii | gab-i | *gabiqi |
| no, none | waláy, walâ | waráy, warâ | *waday, *wadaq |
| noon | udto | udto | *qudtu |
| north wind; northeast monsoon | amihan | amihan | *amihan |
| nose | ilong | irong | *ijuŋ |
| parent | ginikanan | ginikanan | *g(-in-)ikan-an |
| to pity | luoy | luoy | *luquy |
| place away from the coast or town; inland | ilaya | iraya | *i-daya |
| place toward the direction of town or the sea; seaward | ilawod | ilawod | *i-laud |
| rain | ulán | urán | *qudan |
| red | pulá | pulá | *pulah |
| river | subâ | subà | *subaq |
| to run | dagan | dalagan | *dalagan |
| soul | kalag | kalag | *kalag |
| south wind; southwest monsoon | habagat | habagat | *habagat |
| sourness | aslom | aslom | *ʔasləm |
| stairs | hagdán | hagdán | *hagdan |
| star | bituon | bituon | *bituqən |
| sun; day | adlaw | adlaw | *qadlaw |
| tail | ikóg | ikóg | *ikug |
| two | duha | duha | *duha |
| umbrella | payong | payong | *payuŋ |
| to use | gamit | gamit | *gamit |
| we (exclusive) | kamí | kamí | *kami |
| we (inclusive) | kita | kita | *kita |
| white | putî | putî | *putiq |
| widow | balo | balo | *balu |
| wife | asawa | asawa | *qasawa |
| woman | babaye | babaye | *babai |
| world | kalibotan | kalibutan | *ka-libut-an |
| year | tuig | tuig | *tuqig |
| you (absolutive common singular) | ikaw | ikaw | *ikaw |
| you (absolutive plural, polite singular) | kamo | kamo | *kamu |
| your, yours (common singular) | imo | imo | *imu |
| your, yours (plural, polite singular) | inyo | inyo | *inyu |
Cebuano and Waray-Waray shares also loanwords but they may be spelled differently:
| English | Cebuano | Waray-Waray | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| doll | monyeka | munyeka | Spanish muñeca |
| school | eskuwela, eskuyla | eskwela | Spanish escuela |
All cognates display the changes of Proto-Bisayan schwa to /o ~ u/. Some Waray dialects, however, retain the schwa.
The Proto-Central Philippine cluster *l+consonant (except *h, *q or another *l) undergo metathesis in Bisayan (e.g. PPh *qalsəm > PCPh *ʔalsəm > PBis ʔasləm > Cebuano aslom and Waray-Waray aslom)
There is some borrowing between Cebuano and Waray-Waray and vice versa, with Cebuano dialects spoken in Leyte featuring borrowings from Waray-Waray. Some Waray-Waray dialects (e.g. Abuyog dialect) in Leyte also feature Cebuano borrowings.
| Cebuano word | English translation | Waray-Waray translation | Waray-Waray word | English translation | Cebuano translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yukót | million (archaic) | milyon | yukót | thousand | libo |
| English translation | Cebuano | Waray-Waray |
|---|---|---|
| bird | langgam | tamsi |
| dog | iro | ayam |
| to gamble | sugál | huygo |
| mirror | samín | espeho |
| thousand | libo | yukót |
| town | lungsód | bungto |