Suid-Afrikaanse slang wat almal behoort te ken

Yes, Southern African slang is a real melting pot of languages from far and near.
We would talk of an Indaba meaning a meeting to discuss a problem (from siNdebele/siZulu), while Maningi Indaba in Chilapalapa (or Funigalo) meant Big Trouble. Another slang word with an identical meaning was Hunnahunna, but can anyone please tell me from which language this comes? Please excuse the misspelling. Thanks

Thanks Koos for your “Ja well, no fine” – that’s a classic Southernafricanism!

Virginia, I believe Larney should be Laany, from the Afrikaans word for Avenue, Laan, meaning an upper class area.

Tot siens

Ja well, no fine… don’t know what this means
The Vaalies have hit Durbs, and ‘dis lekker by die see’
Just now….. a indefinite period
A Rhodesian one, maybe Sarth Effriken, ‘strike me the ages ou bee’ means ’what’s the time old pal’
Ek se.. I say
Don’t tune me grief meaning, don’t give me lip!

What’s the correct saying. Moenie (twice five or twice figh) met my nie. Meaning don’t argue with me.

I am trying to identify a word used by my late father. It sounded something like
“Mxhoxho” or “zhozho”. It was used to refer to “ the big guy” or the “big chief”.
Please help find the word. It could be a Zulu word.

what about Soutie – short for soutp..l

for “Ubuntu”, good single word approximations might include “neighbourliness”, “communion or community”, “cameraderie”.

What about the English words for things like
“Robot” – Traffic Light
“Circle” – Roundabout
“Trunk” – Boot
“Slap Chips” – Deep Fried Potato Chips
“Dop” – Failing A Test
"

A few here:
Larney: fancy, nice. As in “I’m not dressed for that larney restaurant.”

Gatvol: fed up, had enough. “I’ve had a gatvol of your nonsense.” I won’t give you the literal translation, it’s too filthy.

Pardon me if my spelling is off. I’m actually American :)

@Tyler and @Medupe It is actually “China” – it comes from cockney rhyming slang: China plate – mate.

Gatvol [ghut-foll]

This one probably comes from the Australian “Gut full” meaning exactly the same

Growing up in the Karoo we had “Wag ‘n bietjie” trees on the farm.

As a child I was asked to call the housemaid Aia Lina. That was in the Western Cape. And it is about 60 years ago. What does “Aia” mean?

@Manolita Doise – You could actually use both “jol” or “lekker”. In the true sense, “lekker” is more correct as it is used to essentially mean “very nice” or “great”, but “jol” usually refers to having a good experience or time with someone than being used to describe something nice/good.

I’d like to tell a friend from Limpopo that his braaivleis was great fun, do I use jol or lekker? This in a written message.

MF in Geneva

Ke sha’p = I’m good or OK
Sho’t left = taxi lingo for when you want to get out around the corner.
Cool / cold drink = soda
Bakkie = Pickup truck
Yoh!/Tjoh = reaction to surprise or shock
‘Phone me’ = call me or give me a ring
“must” = often used in place of ‘should’
Jozi = Johannesburg
Mzansi – South Africa

Robot meaning Traffic Light

Oh no! you forgot nee how which means you don’t say or a informal curse you might ponder on.

@tracy, “ousie” is actually a Tswana word for “aunty”.
You can see how somebody would misunderstand and think it means “maid” because of South Africa’s incredibly racially and economically divided society – with many Tswana people having to work as maids and the people they work for calling them “ousie” out of respect.

Then of course there are:

Takkies – loafers/trainers

Naarjie – satsuma mandarin

Slops – flip flops

Granadilla – passion fruit

Bringel – egg plant (also used in India)

Pooitjie [kos] – stew cooked on a three footed iron pot

Sap – fruit juice

Pap en wors- maize polenta like dish with sausage

I’m sure there is more but cannot think of any.

Was thinking that the other one that is really useful is “ungaas” from the isiZulu /angazi/ meaning “I don’t know”..

Pitch /pitch up…. not very know for foreigners if you ask did someone pitch…they think of sport!

@Maggie What a fantastic idea! We don’t have anything like this at the moment, but we will get our team to work on a separate blog for this. Do you have any specific words you’re looking for context on?

@deby A cokie pen is actually a “Koki pen” and they are a type of colour marker pens with brush ink paint (usually non-toxic in nature and often used by kids).

Hi, would it be possible to put some of these words within sentences to see how they would fit? Or perhaps you can refer me to where I can hear colloquial.
Many thanks
Maggie

could you please tell me what a cokie pen is? ( dont mind the spelling)
thanks

Wow…feels good to be South African. Imagine going to the UK or USA with friends/family and speaking Afrikaans. Nobody would know what you were saying, and that’s awesome.

You could include “abba” for carrying a baby – a Malay word. You could also mention that “pundit” is a Hindu word for expert. What about “naartjie”, “witblits” and “mampoer”? The list is endless.

Chai ee lee time. Finished work time to go home.
(Don’t ask me to spell it)
Schpeel – story

The word “fergag”, as in “Nee-wat, let’s just fergag the whole kaboodle”. It means “forget” as well as “chuck the whole thing out”.

Trying to understand what the term

Mx chooo

means. It looks like a slang word to me. Anyone know?

@Tyler the word is Chana not China and yes it does mean mate. This one is commonly used on South African television commercials to bring in that local element.

@Tracy “Ousie” is actually Setswana and it means sister. It’s used respectfully towards someone older or in many cases with someone you are not sure weather they are young or older than you. However this is not used for elderly people as it is disrespectful

Eish man, you forgot how to tell someone when you’re going to do something. Now, now now, just now and Een oomblik. Also, are koeksusters from SA or from Limpopo, me and my husband have been arguing about it for months 🤣

Um a lot of people say chomi mostly girls and that means friend or like best friend.

You guys forgot the most important one. China meaning mate

Hi Tracy, What a great question! We would love clarification on this too… our team will hunt and see what we can come up with (even the Afrikaners on our team are not too sure), but we’d love some suggestions for this from the community too.

Super-useful SA slang words!
There’s one more I’d like clarification on… the Afrikaans for nanny?
I’ve always heard the word ‘ousie’ used with affection, but I’ve also been told this just means maid.
Please advise