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.

A chiller is the name given to a diehard fan of the popular South African podcast called Podcast and Chill with MacG.

Plural: Chillers
Example

I never miss an episode of Podcast and Chill because I'm a true Chiller.

Siya 10 May 2024
Ghost Lady is the co-host of the popular South African Podcast called Podcast and Chill with MacG and Sol Phenduka. As the name suggests, she doesn't appear on camera and her real name is unknown, but she plays a major role in the running of the Podcast.
Example

I wish I could see Ghost Lady some day.

Siya 10 May 2024

MD

MD is an abbreviation that has recently been used for Matric Dance. This is the farewell function for Matriculants or grade 12 learners in South Africa.
Example

My school's MD was lit.

Yanga CPT 10 May 2024
Bhebha is a Zulu slang term that means to have sex.
Example

I know that guy, yho uyabhebha.

OD 15 May 2024
Kuningi is a popular Zulu term that means it's a lot. It is frequently used by social media users to express feeling overwhelmed by too much information or multiple challenges at once.
Example

A lot is going on in Mzansi right now. Kuningi and it's getting kuningier.

OD 15 May 2024
A name given to a brave South African woman dating or sleeping with a Nigerian man mostly for money and other materialistic things.
Example

She can afford her lifestyle because she's dating jollof boys.

Rebs 15 May 2024
Mother of prayer
Example

Woman who pray for people

Mathapelo 15 May 2024
Seeing
Example

Liyabona iso lika thixo

Mathapelo 15 May 2024
Show me your number is a popular soccer/football skill in South Africa, where the player pretends to shoot the ball and the defender ducks, hence showing his/her number to the attacker.
Example

They hit him with a β€œshow me your number” and the crowd went crazy.

Cody 16 May 2024
Is a name given to a child or children born from South Africa Lady who date a Nigerian guy.
Example

How are your jollofites doing?

setwaba 16 May 2024
Chanda is a South African slang term for vomiting.
Example

I don’t host house parties anymore because okes chanda everywhere.

CG 16 May 2024
Baps is a South African slang term for sex.
Example

Okes will baps your hun without even thinking twice.

Yanga CPT 17 May 2024

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