kinsa

1. Basic Usage and 'Man'
Use kinsa directly before personal pronouns. In natural conversation, the particle man is often added after kinsa to soften the tone and make the question sound less abrupt.
Example: Kinsa man siya? (Who is he/she?)

2. The Contraction 'Kinsay'
When asking 'Who is the one that...', kinsa merges with the topic marker ang to form kinsay. This is used to identify a specific person or actor.
Example: Kinsay nikaon? (Who ate? / Who is the one that ate?) or Kinsay maestro? (Who is the teacher?)
This is also how you ask 'Whom did you [action]?' (where 'whom' is the direct object), framing it in the patient focus.
Example: Kinsay imong nakita? (Whom did you see? / Who is the one you saw?)

3. Asking 'Whose', 'To Whom', 'By Whom', and 'For Whom'
To express possession, use the phrase kang kinsa. This literally means 'to whom' but is the standard way to ask 'whose'.
Example: Kang kinsa ni? (Whose is this?)
It is also used as a directional object meaning 'to whom'.
Example: Kang kinsa nimo gihatag? (To whom did you give it?)
To ask 'by whom' an action was done, use ni kinsa.
Example: Gibuhat ni kinsa? (Done by whom?)
To ask 'for whom', use para kang kinsa.
Example: Para kang kinsa kining regalo? (Who is this gift for?)

4. Specifying 'Which' or 'Whose'
When you use kinsang followed by a noun, it can mean 'Which [person]' (e.g., Kinsang bataa? - Which child?). Notice the suffix -a on bata. In Cebuano grammar, nouns following kinsang typically take the definitizer suffix -a or -ha to be grammatically complete (e.g., tawo becomes tawhana), though dropping it is common colloquially. Furthermore, kinsang is equally or more commonly used as a shorthand for 'Whose [noun]?' (a contraction of kang kinsang). For example, Kinsang bataa? can also mean 'Whose child?' depending on context.

5. Names and Identity
In Cebuano, you can ask for a name using either unsa (what) or kinsa (who). While Unsay imong ngalan? is very common, Kinsay imong ngalan? is also standard because a name is viewed as a person's identity.

6. Plural 'Who'
If you expect multiple names in the answer, duplicate the word to form kinsa-kinsa.
Example: Kinsa-kinsa ang imong mga higala? (Who are your friends?)

7. Asking 'Who Else'
To ask 'who else', combine kinsa with the particle pa.
Example: Kinsa pa ang gusto? (Who else wants some?)

8. Anyone or Whoever
By adding bisan before kinsa, you create the phrase bisan kinsa, which means 'anyone' or 'whoever'.
Example: Bisan kinsa pwede moapil. (Anyone can join.)

9. The Idiom 'Si Kinsa'
Placing si before kinsa is often used idiomatically to ask 'Who does he/she think he/she is?'
Example: Si kinsa ba siya nga mosugo nako? (Who does he think he is to order me around?)

10. The Relative Pronoun Trap
English speakers often mistakenly use kinsa to mean 'who' in the middle of a sentence (e.g., 'The man who is eating'). While kinsa is sometimes used as a relative pronoun in highly formal, religious, or translated texts, it sounds unnatural in everyday speech. In natural Cebuano, use the linker nga instead for relative clauses (e.g., Ang tawo nga nikaon).