Binol-anon is the Cebuano name for the Boholano dialect and its speakers, the Boholano people (Bol-anon). The term appears frequently in local media, signage, and everyday speech on Bohol island.

The Boholano Alphabet — Latin Script of the Cebuano Dialect of Bohol Island, Philippines

Q: What is the Boholano alphabet?

The Boholano alphabet is the same Latin-based writing system used for Cebuano: 20 letters , 5 vowels and 14 consonants, plus the digraph Ng [3] . Native spelling excludes c, f, j, q, v, x, and z, which appear only in loanwords and proper names.

Q: Is Boholano a separate language from Cebuano?

No. A 2014 doctoral study found Boholano to be a dialect of Cebuano, not an independent language [2] . The two varieties are grammatically identical , with only some lexical and phonological differences.

Q: Where is Boholano spoken?

Boholano is spoken on Bohol island , home to 1,394,329 people at the 2020 census [1] . It is also spoken in parts of southern Leyte, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga .

Q: What makes Boholano pronunciation distinctive?

In central Bohol, the semivowel y and the sound ll are pronounced like the "j" in English "jam", so iya sounds like "idja". Intervocalic l can also become a "w" sound after u or o, as in kulang pronounced "kuwang".

Q: Why does Boholano share Cebuano's ISO code?

Boholano is classified as a dialect , not a distinct language, so it shares Cebuano's ISO 639-3 code ceb [3] . International standards bodies register languages , not every regional dialect variation within them.

Q: How many letters are in the Boholano alphabet?

The Boholano alphabet has 20 letters : five vowels, fourteen consonants, and the digraph Ng , identical to Cebuano. This is more compact than English, since native writing excludes c, f, j, q, v, x, and z.

Q: Does Boholano use letters like C, F, J, Q, V, X, and Z?

These letters are excluded from native Boholano spelling , appearing only in loanwords and proper names borrowed from Spanish or English. This pattern is shared with Cebuano and most other Philippine languages.

Q: What is the status of Boholano today?

Boholano remains the everyday language of Bohol island, used widely in homes, local media, and community life. Filipino and English are also used in formal education and government , under the Philippines' bilingual language policy.

Boholano Alphabet at a Glance

20 letters: 5 vowels and 14 consonants, plus the Ng digraph, shared with Cebuano
Boholano, or Binol-anon, is the Cebuano dialect of Bohol island, home to 1,394,329 people at the 2020 census ^[1]
A 2014 doctoral study found Boholano to be a dialect of Cebuano, not a separate language, despite some phonological differences ^[2]
Boholano shares Cebuano's ISO 639-3 code ceb, since the two are not registered as separate languages ^[3]
A hallmark of central Bohol speech is pronouncing y and ll like the "j" in "jam", so iya sounds like "idja"
Boholano is also spoken in parts of southern Leyte, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga
Native spelling excludes the letters c, f, j, q, v, x, and z, which appear only in loanwords and proper names

[AH]

[EH]

[EE]

[OH]

[OO]

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[BEE]

[DEE]

[GEE]

[HUH]

[KAY]

[EL]

[EM]

[EN]

[PEE]

[AR]

[ESS]

[TEE]

[WUH]

[YUH]

[BEE]

Uppercase B, a voiced bilabial stop, similar to "b" in "boy".

[DEE]

Uppercase D, a voiced alveolar stop, similar to "d" in "dog".

[GEE]

Uppercase G, a voiced velar stop, similar to "g" in "go".

[HUH]

Uppercase H, a voiceless glottal fricative, similar to "h" in "hat".

[KAY]

Uppercase K, a voiceless velar stop, similar to "k" in "key".

[EL]

Uppercase L, an alveolar lateral approximant, similar to "l" in "lamp".

[EM]

Uppercase M, a bilabial nasal, similar to "m" in "man".

[EN]

Uppercase N, an alveolar nasal, similar to "n" in "nose".

[PEE]

Uppercase P, a voiceless bilabial stop, similar to "p" in "pen".

[AR]

Uppercase R, a tapped or trilled rhotic consonant, similar to the rolled "r" in Spanish.

[ESS]

Uppercase S, a voiceless alveolar fricative, similar to "s" in "sun".

[TEE]

Uppercase T, a voiceless alveolar stop, similar to "t" in "top".

[WUH]

Uppercase W, a labial-velar approximant, similar to "w" in "water".

[YUH]

Uppercase Y, a palatal approximant, similar to "y" in "yes".

[bee]

[dee]

[gee]

[huh]

[kay]

[el]

[em]

[en]

[pee]

[ar]

[ess]

[tee]

[wuh]

[yuh]

[bee]

Voiced bilabial stop, similar to "b" in English "boy".

[dee]

Voiced alveolar stop, similar to "d" in English "dog".

[gee]

Voiced velar stop, similar to "g" in English "go".

[huh]

Voiceless glottal fricative, similar to "h" in English "hat".

[kay]

Voiceless velar stop, similar to "k" in English "key".

[el]

Alveolar lateral approximant, similar to "l" in English "lamp".

[em]

Bilabial nasal, similar to "m" in English "man".

[en]

Alveolar nasal, similar to "n" in English "nose".

[pee]

Voiceless bilabial stop, similar to "p" in English "pen".

[ar]

Tapped or trilled rhotic consonant, similar to the rolled "r" in Spanish.

[ess]

Voiceless alveolar fricative, similar to "s" in English "sun".

[tee]

Voiceless alveolar stop, similar to "t" in English "top".

[wuh]

Labial-velar approximant, similar to "w" in English "water".

[yuh]

Palatal approximant, similar to "y" in English "yes".

[ENG]

[eng]

A a

B b

D d

E e

G g

H h

I i

K k

L l

M m

N n

Ng ng

O o

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

W w

Y y

A a

Vowel A, similar to the "a" in English "father".

B b

Consonant B, a voiced bilabial stop.

D d

Consonant D, a voiced alveolar stop.

E e

Vowel E, similar to the "e" in English "bed".

G g

Consonant G, a voiced velar stop.

H h

Consonant H, a voiceless glottal fricative.

I i

Vowel I, similar to the "ee" in English "see".

K k

Consonant K, a voiceless velar stop.

L l

Consonant L, an alveolar lateral approximant.

M m

Consonant M, a bilabial nasal.

N n

Consonant N, an alveolar nasal.

Ng ng

Digraph Ng, the velar nasal.

O o

Vowel O, similar to the "o" in English "go".

P p

Consonant P, a voiceless bilabial stop.

R r

Consonant R, a tapped or trilled rhotic.

S s

Consonant S, a voiceless alveolar fricative.

T t

Consonant T, a voiceless alveolar stop.

U u

Vowel U, similar to the "oo" in English "food".

W w

Consonant W, a labial-velar approximant.

Y y

Consonant Y, a palatal approximant.

;

(

)

Period (full stop)

Comma

;

Semicolon

Colon

Question mark

Exclamation mark

Apostrophe, used to mark the glottal stop in some Boholano words

Quotation mark

Hyphen

(

Left parenthesis

)

Right parenthesis

Expand All Collapse All

What is the Boholano alphabet?

Is Boholano a separate language from Cebuano?

Where is Boholano spoken?

What makes Boholano pronunciation distinctive?

What is Binol-anon?

Why does Boholano share Cebuano's ISO code?

How many letters are in the Boholano alphabet?

Does Boholano use letters like C, F, J, Q, V, X, and Z?

What is the status of Boholano today?

References:

[1] Philippine Information Agency. "Bohol's Population Grows 0.33% Annually, Now at 1.41 Million — PSA" — reporting Philippine Statistics Authority figures from the 2020 census (1,394,329) and 2024 projection. Retrieved from Philippine Information Agency: Bohol Population Growth
[2] Laput, Daylinda Luz R. (2014). "An Investigation of Boholano as a Separate Language or a Visayan Dialect from a Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Perspective". Doctoral dissertation, De La Salle University. Retrieved from DLSU Animo Repository: Laput 2014
[3] SIL International. "ISO 639-3 Registration Authority: Cebuano [ceb]". Retrieved from SIL ISO 639-3: Cebuano