KaNa Bisaya

The Bisaya word súwat means “to write,” and may refer to letters or an alphabet.

It is likely derived from the Hokkien term 書法 (sū-hoat) — calligraphy.

In Classical usage, 書法 referred not only to handwriting as an art form, but to the principles and methods of writing texts, especially historical and official records (see Wiktionary; Baidu Baike).

The use of a Hokkien term for “writing” suggests that early Bisaya notions of formal writing were shaped through contact with Chinese (Hanzi-based) literate culture.

Image source: Calligraphy in Running Style, The Cleveland Museum of Art from Unsplash.com

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Kabia (“to prepare a firearm”), recorded in the Diccionario Bisaya–Español (1885), may reflect influence from Sinitic military terminology.

In 18th–19th century usage, “preparing” a firearm specifically meant priming and loading gunpowder weapons prior to firing.

This aligns with the Chinese expression 開炮 (Middle Chinese kʰoj pʰæuH; cf. Hokkien khai pháu), which denotes the initiation or activation of artillery fire, with 開 (“to open/initiate”) encompassing the preparatory phase of weapon use.

Given documented Bisaya–Chinese contact, such borrowing is historically plausible.

Image source: A Bisaya lantaka from the Butuan–Caraga Heritage Museum
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Despite thousands of entries, the 1711, 1852, and 1885 dictionaries don’t include “uran” (work shirt)… 🤔

Sugba is a native Bisaya verb meaning “to grill”, “to barbecue” or “to broil.”

Although fully integrated into Bisayan phonology and everyday usage, it likely originates from the Hokkien term sio-bah (燒肉), which refers to roasted or barbecued meat.

Phonological adaptation reshaped sio-bah into sugba, including vowel adjustment and the loss of final consonants, both common features in Bisayan loanword adaptation.

Semantically, the meaning narrowed over time, shifting from a noun referring to roasted or barbecued meat to a verb denoting the act of grilling or broiling itself.

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#燒肉

A closer view of some of the Bisaya sword hilts.

Source: Museo de Balanghai
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Balang (noun) — weapons; arms.
(attested in Diccionario Bisaya-Español, 1885)

Possibly from Middle Chinese 兵 (pjaeng) ‘weapons; arms’, whose earliest meaning was weapons before extending to soldiers and armies.

In Middle Chinese, j represents a y-like glide, so pjaeng would have sounded roughly like pyang.

Compared with balang, the initial p- aligns with b-, the glide may correspond to -l-, and the final -aeng resembles -ang, consistent with adaptation in borrowing.

Sources:
Museo De Balanghai - Butuan City.
Baike.baidu (Chinese online dictionary)
Wiktionary.org

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Ugima.

Devils, demons transfigured into satyrs, etc. And to transform oneself in that way. — Diccionario Bisaya-Español (1885)

Ugima may ultimately derive from Hokkien ok-mo (惡魔, “evil spirit, demon”), a Sinitic term also reflected in Japanese akuma (悪魔).

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Sangud.

A precious stone, a carbuncle, which the natives say is formed in the head of some snakes or other animals.

~ 1885 Diccionario Bisaya-Español

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Lapras looking pre-colonial sculpture from Butuan.

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Pre-colonial Bisaya sword hilt from Caraga.

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An egg, broken from the outside,
is food; 🍳
broken from the inside, it is life.🐣
~ Chinese Proverb

Bisaya vs Okinawan traditional architecture.

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