Ghana Slang Dictionary

Ghanaian slang mixes Ghanaian Pidgin English with Twi, Ga and other local languages into the everyday street talk of Accra, Kumasi and beyond. From university campuses to trotro rides, it's expressive, humorous and constantly evolving. Iconic words like chale, obroni, dumsor and eti sen capture Ghanaian warmth and wit. Browse the growing, community-built dictionary of Ghanaian slang below - and if you know a word that's missing, be the first to define it.

Eti sen

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A Twi greeting meaning "How are you?" or "How is it?"
Example

Eti sen? Everything okay?

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Eye

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It is good / I'm fine. Twi response to a greeting (pronounced eh-yeh).
Example

Eti sen? Eye!

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Akwaaba

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Welcome. Twi word of greeting, seen at airports and homes.
Example

Akwaaba! Welcome to Ghana.

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Medaase

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Thank you in Twi (pronounced me-daa-si).
Example

Medaase for the help.

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Wahala

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Trouble or problem. Shared across West African pidgin.
Example

Chale, som wahala dey oo.

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Barb

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To understand or catch on; also to be in a tough situation.
Example

You barb what I dey talk?

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Tron

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Hard, tough, or wicked. Possibly from "strong".
Example

This exam be tron paa.

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Yawa

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Embarrassment or a disgraceful situation.
Example

Yawa dey oo, he embarrass himself.

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Dumsor

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Persistent power outages / load-shedding. From Twi "dum" (off) and "sor" (on).
Example

Dumsor spoil my whole evening.

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Oga

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Boss or someone in authority. Borrowed from Nigerian pidgin.
Example

My oga go decide.

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Chop

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To eat; also to spend or enjoy.
Example

Make we go chop banku.

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Chop bar

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A local restaurant serving traditional Ghanaian food.
Example

We chop fufu for the chop bar.

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