The Philippines is home to more than 180 languages, many of which share common roots, vocabulary, and grammatical structures. Among these, several languages exhibit strong similarities to Cebuano. It is a member of the Austronesian language family. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Cebuano are Ilonggo, Tagalog, Tausug, Kinaray-a, and Bikol.
- Ilonggo (89.4)
Ilonggo is primarily spoken in Western Visayas and parts of Mindanao. It shares a considerable amount of vocabulary with Cebuano. Due to common ancestry, they have significant lexical similarities. Words like bata (child), kaon (eat), and tulog (sleep) appear in both languages with identical or nearly identical meanings. - Tagalog (79.9)
Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines, so it is no surprise it has a lot in common with Cebuano as well. Though it shares many features with Tagalog, Cebuano has its distinct identity. Through media, education, and migration, Cebuano and Tagalog speakers frequently interact, promoting mutual borrowing and understanding. - Tausug (77.8)
Tausug is spoken by the Tausug people in the Sulu Archipelago and parts of Mindanao. As coastal and seafaring peoples, the Tausug and Visayans historically traded and intermarried, increasing linguistic convergence. - Kinaray-a (77.6)
Kinaray-a is often grouped with Ilonggo but is distinct in its own right. Spoken mainly in rural areas of Panay Island, Kinaray-a maintains many features of old Visayan languages. As a result, Kinaray-a shares many words with Cebuano. - Bikol (71.0)
Bikol is spoken in the Bicol Peninsula and parts of Southern Luzon, so it is geographically closer to Tagalog-speaking regions, Bikol has distinct differences but also key similarities. Still, it shares a good number of basic vocabulary items with Cebuano.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)