South Africa Slang Dictionary
South African slang is a rich, multilingual mix that borrows freely from the country's eleven official languages - isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sesotho and more - plus street languages like tsotsitaal and Sepitori. It's the language of the townships, the taxi rank, kwaito and amapiano, and everyday Mzansi life from Joburg to Cape Town to Durban. Words like eish, howzit, lekker, sharp sharp and yebo are woven into how South Africans speak every day. Explore the community-built dictionary of South African slang below - and add the words you know.
Let's grab some biltong before we watch the game.
Let's go buy some beer and some meat for tonight's braai.
1. I've been living on pap and atchaar because I'm financially deceased.
2. I can't pay you this week, I am financially deceased.
1. He couldn't get that girl because he is cosmetically challenged.
2. She rejected him because, cosmetically, he is challenged.
I can't go out today, I'm in a financial comma, and I'm only getting paid next week.
No one:
Maths textbook: Thabo bought 20 watermelons and 16 condoms, how many cousins does Thabo have?
Variations: mgowo, gowa, gowisha, gowishing.
I'm so broke, ngumgowo nje wodwa mntase.
Financially, ndiyagowa.
When people zol, they put saliva on the paper and then they share that zol. But also they are moving saliva
No one:
Thabo: I only date Xhosa chicks even though I know they will suck me dry.
Pretorians like to think they breathe flavoured air
I know I'm a dick, akere I'm from Pitori.
- Yho mntase, you should have seen the way he looked at me.
- Never let men play you, mntase. Banyise bonke.