SECTION 8: GENERAL INFO | < BACK | NEXT >

8.7 SOUTH AFRICAN WORDS, COLLOQUIALISMS AND SLANG

With 11 official languages, South Africa is a vibrant melting pot of languages, cultures and ethnicities, immortally referred to as The Rainbow Nation, a term first coined by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.  

The Lingua Franca, however, is English, spoken by most South Africans in varying degrees of fluency and with an astonishing array of accents and aptitude. A colourful mix of South African slang has evolved and most of these terms are used and understood by a majority of the population.

The best collection of South African slang is on Wiki, but it is too comprehensive to add in here. Check it out and try to memorise a few of them at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_African_slang_words#Original_South_African_English_coinages

Some of the more widely used terms are: 

Ag = Pronounced like the ach in German, but with a 'g' on the end. Roll that 'g'! "Ag, no man" - sign of irritation.
Aikona = Never, not on your life.
Babbelas ('Bub-be-las') = A hangover. Normally a pretty damn bad hangover!
Bakkie ('Buk-ky') = Pickup truck
Barnie  = Fight, punch-up.
Biltong = Jerky in the US, only much better!. This is specially prepared dried raw meat, made from beef, venison or ostrich. 
Biscuit = Cookie in the US.
Boerewors  =  Farmstyle sausage or "wors". (Literally, "Farmers Sausage"). It is consumed in vast quantities on braais all over the country.
Braai  = Barbecue (US) or Barbie (Aus). Extremely popular SA occupation.
Brah/Bru/Bro  =  Buddy, associate, peer, colleague, friend, etc... Catch a Tan
Chick - Yet another typically South African sexist term for a woman!
Dagga ('Dag-gah')  =  Marijuana, dope - the South African word for dope.
Dankie = Thank you
Eina(aynah) = Ouch! Widely used. Derived from Afrikaans. 
Howzit (also hoesit") = The famous, and one of the most typical, South African greeting. Short for "How is it?" 
Jawl or Jorl = The word jawl is a generic South African - it refers to having a good time and can be used in any context. "I am going on a jawl (party) - I am having a jawl (good time) ...".
Just now = A immense source of amusement for foreigners - it means "very soon", "eventually"; or "never". If someone says he will do something "just now" it could be in 10 minutes or tomorrow. Or maybe he won't do it at all. Another vaiation is "Now Now" .
Lekker = An Afrikaans word meaning nice, this word is used by all language groups to express approval.
Mampara = A fool
Nooit('Noy-t') = No way - Another way of saying no, but also a sign of incredulous response.
Oke (ou) = Guy, chap, bloke.
Padkos  = Food for a car, for a trip; on the road.
Robot = Yes, it's a traffic light! 
Shame = Very typical South African expression; also found amusing by foreigners. "Ag shame, look how cute that baby is!", or "Shame, stop making kak with the chick, man, she's lekker", and "Shame, that's really sad".
Slap chips = When French Fries are thick and long and don't go crispy in the oil - they are soft and stodgy
Spook and diesel = Cane spirits and coke - A favorite mixture of a pale liquor and dark Coca-Cola.
Stoep = Verandah
Takkies = Sneakers, trainers, running shoes
Tokoloshe = Evil spirit
Voetsek = Get lost, buzz off..."Voetsek, jou sleg moer!"
Zol = Marijuana - another South African word for dope.

 

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