Mbalo (Embaloh) is an Austronesian (Dayak) language of Borneo. Apart from Taman, it is not close to other languages, and its classification has long been controversial. Adelaar and Himmelmann (2005) propose that it was especially close to Buginese. However, it is frequently left as an isolate within (Nuclear) Malayo-Polynesian, a position supported by a 2008 lexicostatistical study.