The everyday Cebuano greetings are Maayong buntag (good morning), Maayong hapon (good afternoon) and Maayong gabii (good evening). To ask how someone is, say Kumusta ka?; to thank them, Salamat; to say goodbye, Amping (take care). Those five carry almost every encounter you will have in Cebu.
Below is the full set with a simple English respelling for each phrase, so you can say it out loud right away — plus the politeness rules that trip up travellers. Cebuano, which locals call Bisaya, is spoken in Cebu, Bohol and much of the southern Philippines, and it is not Tagalog.
Basic Greetings
| Cebuano | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kumusta ka? | koo-MOOS-tah kah | How are you? |
| Babay | bah-BYE | bye |
| Amping | AHM-ping | Take care |
| Kita ta unya! | kee-TAH tah oon-YAH | See you later! |
Good to know: Kumusta works like “hi” — even with people you barely know. And Amping belongs in almost every goodbye — just add it, it always lands well.
Time-of-Day Greetings
| Cebuano | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Maayong buntag | mah-AH-yong BOON-tahg | Good morning |
| Maayong hapon | mah-AH-yong HAH-pon | Good afternoon |
| Maayong gabii | mah-AH-yong gah-BEE-ee | Good evening |
Good to know: The polite “po/opo” exists only in Tagalog — Cebuano doesn’t have it. Politeness here works with Sir/Ma’am and a smile.
Polite Phrases
| Cebuano | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Salamat | sah-LAH-maht | thank you |
| Salamat kaayo! | sah-LAH-maht kah-AH-yoh | Thank you very much! |
| Palihug | pah-LEE-hoog | please (when asking) |
| Pasayloa ko | pah-sigh-LOH-ah koh | Forgive me. (sincere) |
| Dili ko kasabot. | DEE-lee koh kah-SAH-bot | I don’t understand. |
| Hinaya lang palihug. | hee-NIGH-ah lahng pah-LEE-hoog | Slower, please. |
| Gamay ra kong Bisaya. | gah-MY rah kong bee-SAH-yah | I only speak a little Cebuano. |
Good to know: kaayo means “very”, and it always comes after the word — lami kaayo, init kaayo, mahal kaayo. Palihug is only for requests; to answer a thank-you, say Walay sapayan.
Good to know: Palihug goes at the end of the sentence, never at the front — Tubig, palihug. (water, please), Usba palihug. (please repeat). Our reviewer’s note on this is blunt: “palihug comes always in the last.” And you rarely need more than plain Salamat — everyday politeness in Cebuano asks for nothing more.
Responses
| Cebuano | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Maayo man ko. Ikaw? | mah-AH-yoh mahn koh · ee-KAW | I’m good. And you? |
| Oo | OH-oh (two syllables!) | yes |
| Dili | DEE-lee | no / not (doing something) |
| Wala | wah-LAH | none / don’t have |
| Walay sapayan. | wah-LIE sah-PAH-yahn | You’re welcome. |
| Sige | SEE-geh | okay / alright |
Good to know: dili negates actions (“I don’t”), wala means “not there / don’t have” — mixing them up is the most common beginner mistake. Memory hook: ko = I, ka = you. That unlocks half of all short sentences.