Waray language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Waray-Waray
Winaray
Native to	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas
Native speakers	3.1 million; 5th most spoken native language in the Philippines  (date missing)
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Central Philippine Visayan Central Visayan Waray-Waray
Writing system	Latin (Filipino variant); Historically written in Baybayin
Official status
Official language in	Regional language in the Philippines
Regulated by	Commission on the Filipino Language

Wáray-Wáray or Warai is a language spoken in the Philippines. You can hear it in the provinces of Samar, Leyte, and Biliran. It's also called Winaray or Lineyte-Samarnon.

Waray-Waray is part of a bigger group of languages called the Waraynon languages. This group includes Waray, Waray Sorsogon, and Masbate Sorsogon. All these languages belong to the Visayan language family. They are related to languages like Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Masbatenyo.

Where Waray-Waray is Spoken

Waray-Waray is one of the ten official regional languages in the Philippines. This means it's used by local governments in its region. People speak it mostly in the Eastern Visayas region.

You can also find Waray-Waray speakers in other places. Some parts of Mindanao, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Metro Manila have people who speak Waray. This is because many Waray people have moved there. Even a small number of Filipinos living abroad, especially in the United States, still speak Waray-Waray.

Sounds and Numbers

The Waray language has 16 different consonant sounds. It also has three main vowel sounds: a, i, and u.

Counting in Waray-Waray

For numbers one through ten, Waray-Waray uses its own native words. But for numbers eleven and higher, people almost always use words borrowed from Spanish. Most native speakers don't even know the old Waray words for these higher numbers. However, some older people might still use the native words like gatus for "hundred" and yukot for "thousand" alongside the Spanish ones.

Common Words and Phrases

Here are some examples of words and phrases you might hear in Waray-Waray, especially around Tacloban City:

• Can you understand Waray?: Nakakaintindi / Nasabut ka hin Winaray?
• Good morning (noon / afternoon / evening): Maupay nga aga (udto / kulop / gab-i)
• Thank you: Salamat
• I love you: Hinihigugma ko ikaw or Ginhihigugma ko ikaw or Pina-ura ta ikaw
• Where are you from? : Taga diin ka? or Taga nga-in ka?
• What is your name? : Ano it imo ngaran?
• Who are you?: Hin-o ka?
• How are you? : Kumusta ka na?
• I'm fine / In God's will: Kalu-oy sa Dyos
• How much is this? : Tag pira ini?
• I like this / that: Karuyag ko ini / itun
• I can't understand: Diri ako nakakaintindi or Diri ako nakakasabut
• I don't know: Diri ako maaram or Ambot
• What: Ano
• Who: Hin-o
• Where: Hain or Di-in
• When (future): San-o
• When (past): Kakan-o
• Why: Kay-ano
• How: Gin-aano?/Patiunan-o?
• Yes: Oo
• No: Dire or Diri
• There: Adto or Didto or Ngad-to
• Here: Didi or Nganhi or Din-hi
• Up: Igbaw
• Down: Ubos
• Top: Baw-baw
• Bottom: Ilarom or Sirong
• Right: Tu-o
• Left: Wala
• Far: Harayu
• Near: Hirane
• Front or in front: Atubang or Atubangan
• Night: Gab-i
• Day: Adlaw
• Nothing: Waray
• Good: Maupay
• Beautiful: Mahusay
• Handsome: Gwapo
• Boy: Lalaki
• Girl: Babayi
• I'm a friend of...: Sangkay ak ni...
• I'm lost here: Nawawara ak didi.
• Maybe: Bangin
• I wish...: Kunta

Other Useful Words

Nature and the World

• Earth - kalibutan
• Moon - bulan
• Sun - adlaw
• Star - bituon
• Wind - hangin
• Fire - kalayo
• Land - tuna
• Water - lawod/tubig
• Mountain - bukid
• Sea - dagat
• Ocean - kalawdan
• Island - puro/isla
• Archipelago (group of islands) - kapuruan
• River - salog
• Lake - danaw

Around the House

• House - balay or Payag
• Room - kwarto or sulod
• Bedroom - sulod-katurugan
• Kitchen - kusina
• Dining Room - kaunan
• Bathroom - kubeta/kasilyas/karigu-an

Family Members

• Father - amay/tatay/papa
• Mother - iroy/nanay/mama
• Son/Daughter - anak
• Brother - bugto nga lalaki
• Sister - bugto nga babayi
• Grandparent - apoy/lolo (male) / lola (female)
• Cousin - patod
• Nephew/Niece - umangkon
• Oldest Child - suhag
• Youngest Child - puto or pudo

Food Words

• Bread - tinapai
• Rice (cooked) - kan-on / luto
• Rice (raw) - bugas
• Rice (still in husk) - humay
• Viand (dish eaten with rice) - sura
• Coffee - kape
• Vinegar - suoy/suka

Animals

• Dog - ayam/ iru/ ido
• Cat - uding/ misai
• Rat - yatut
• Crocodile - buaya
• Bird - tamsi
• Snake - halas
• Carabao (water buffalo) - karabaw
• Crab - masag

Words from Other Languages

Waray-Waray has borrowed many words from other languages over time. This shows how different cultures have influenced the Philippines.

From Indonesian/Malay

Some words in Waray-Waray are similar to words in Indonesian or Malay:

• Mulay (to play) - like Indonesian mulai
• Balay (house) - like Indonesian balai
• Mata (eyes) - like Indonesian/Malay mata
• Bulan (moon/month) - like Indonesian/Malay bulan

From Spanish

Because Spain ruled the Philippines for a long time, many Waray-Waray words come from Spanish:

• Abaniko (fan) - from Spanish Abanico
• Abril (April) - from Spanish Abril
• Abogado (lawyer) - from Spanish Abogado
• Aksidente (accident) - from Spanish Accidente
• Asukal (sugar) - from Spanish Azúcar
• Asul (blue) - from Spanish Azul
• Banyo/Kasilyas (bathroom, toilet) - from Spanish Baño
• Bisikleta (bicycle) - from Spanish Bicicleta
• Doktor/a (doctor) - from Spanish Doctor/a
• Tsokolate (chocolate) - from Spanish Chocolate

From Chinese

Some words came from Chinese, especially from the Hokkien dialect:

• Bakya (native wooden sandals)
• Bihon (rice noodles)
• Lumpia (spring rolls)

From English

With American influence, many English words are now used in Waray-Waray:

• Basket (basket)
• Basketbol (basketball)
• Kompyuter (computer)
• Keyk (cake)
• Lider (leader)
• Manedyer (manager)
• Hai Skul (High School)

Related pages

• Waray Wikipedia

See also

In Spanish: Idioma samareño para niños