buang
/ˈbuʔaŋ/
The Bisaya word for stupid is buang.
While buang can mean stupid or foolish in a colloquial sense, its primary and most common meaning in Bisaya is actually crazy or insane. Other terms exist to specify different types of lack of intelligence: tanga is a direct translation for stupid, amaw describes someone who lacks common sense or is slow to comprehend things and ignorante is a formal way to say someone is ignorant or uninformed.
Meaning: lacking in intelligence (adj)
Which one should you use?
The term buang is most frequently understood as crazy or insane, whereas tanga is the specific term for being stupid. To describe someone who is merely acting a bit silly, foolish or slightly crazed rather than being truly insane, you can use the reduplicated form buang-buang.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbuʔaŋ/
Did you know?
- While buang means crazy, it is frequently paired with the word kaayo to create buang kaayo, which can ironically be used to describe someone who is intensely passionate or obsessed.
- Bisaya speakers may use buang to describe a piece of technology or a machine that is malfunctioning or acting unpredictably.
- Using the word buang in an argument can escalate a situation quickly because it targets a person's sanity rather than their intellect.
Example conversation
Jose and Joy are discussing a bad decision.
- JoseNganong gibaligya nimo ang imong phone?Why did you sell your phone?
- JoyNagkinahanglan man gud ko og kwarta.I just needed money.
- JoseBuang gyud ka, Joy.You are really stupid, Joy.
- JoyHilom na lang, Jose.Just be quiet, Jose.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buang, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
