Category: General


Mbhaqanga is the Xhosa version of Maskandi music.
Example

My dad is always listening to Mbhaqanga.

Percy 21 June 2025
In South African restaurants, Mondays are known as Mogodu Mondays, where they serve Mogodu, usually on special.
Example

Let’s go to Mogodu Monday next week.

Mamba 17 June 2025

A Hlubi word for you are talking nonsense.
Example

Me: Gombo means "a newly developed area. It is the name given by the Xhosas to the City of East London after its foundation in 1836"

You: That is gibberish.

Me: uyarhubha.

Sgasa 23 May 2025
Ganja is a widely used term to refer to weed or marijuana.
Example

I'm gonna go home and smoke some ganja.

Chief 23 May 2025

Hit
Example

I will slaan that oak

jordan 22 May 2025
Xhosa plural for a chief’s counsellors. The singular is ipakati. From pachatu an ancient Babylonia word for governor.
Example

My ancestors were amapakati of Chief Ngqika.

Sgasa 21 May 2025

Xhosa plural for stratagems. It is actually just amatile. Singular is itile. The ti is pronounced like English tea and le as in French. From the Sanskrit kutila which appear in Xhosa as ukutila.
Example

My car broke down on the way, I had to make amatile-tile to get here.

Sgasa 21 May 2025
Xhosa for adventure. Also the nickname of the last independent Xhosa Paramount Chief. His birth name was Zotana. Often referred to as Sarhili from Sa - sire and Rhili - adventure. It means the father of adventure. As a youth he was said to have been an adventurist.
Example

I am going for a rhili.

Sgasa 21 May 2025

The indigenous name for the City of East London meaning the new farming area or new development. The name was given by the precolonial Xhosas to the City following its establishment after the Sixth Frontier War. Today it is mistakenly pronounced Gompo

owing to the Christianization of the Xhosa language by early African converts writers who owing to growing up in mission station could not comprehend Xhosa properly and had a habit of changing the spelling of Xhosa words they did not understand.
Example

Going to East London?

I’m going to Gombo

Sgasa 21 May 2025
properly used to mean a β€œspirit” from

u -> the

m -> child of, person of, thing of

Shulgi -> an ancient Sumerian king who deified him just like Jesus and so people were said to perform wonders β€œIn the name of Shulgi”.
Example

On seeing a ghost: I saw umshologu.

On seeing a magic performance: He’s using umshologu.

A church was in the old days called: The House of umshologu

On someone who loves to go to church: He’s the ash of the house of umshologu. (you can modernize the expression by using β€œfurniture” instead of β€œash”)

Sgasa 21 May 2025


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