A Traveler's Guide to South African Slang

Posted on Sun April 5, 2020.

Every country has its unusual and strange phrases – that give local languages flavour and character. But unless you’re a native speaker, local slang can be tricky to grasp.

South Africa having 11 official languages has a diverse and rich slang culture. Unless you are a local some of these terms will be hard to grasp let alone even pronounce. 

To help all of our international friends we have compiled a list of some of the words you may hear on the daily and help you along the way. 

  • Ag - ( Agh) Equivalent to "Oh Man" Often used to express pity or irritation. 
  • Aikona - (Ey-Kho-Na) A Zulu term used to express shock or disbelief when talking to friends or family.
  • Arvie - (Arv-ee) South African term of Afternoon 
  • Babbelas - (Bub-Ba-Las) A really Bad Hangover 
  • Bakkie - (Buk-Kee) South African version of a pick up truck 
  • Biltong -( Bil- Tong) Spiced, cured and dehydrated meat, similar to (but much tastier than) beef jerky
  • Bliksem - (Blik-Sem) To hit or punch,
  • Boet - Brother, usually used when talking to friends 
  • Boerewors - ( Boo-Rah-Vors) outh African farm-style sausage commonly braaied
  • Braai - An equivalent to a BBQ but better 
  • Donner - (Don-Neh)  Beat Up 
  • Dop - Alcoholic Beverage 
  • Eina - (Ay-Na) Ouch
  • Eish - (Aysh) General exclamation that can be used in positive and negative contexts
  • Howzit - (Hows-It) Greeting, often used instead of hello. Combines hello and how are you, so it saves time.
  • Ja - (Yah) Yes 
  • Jislaaik - (Yis-Like) exclamation of wonder or surprise
  • Jol - (Jo-rl) Can refer to a party, or to a general good time
  • Lekker -  (Lah-Car) Nice, delicious, fun – anything good
  • Now Now - Second meaning for now. It also means sometime soon, although sooner than just now, like within the next 30 to 60 minute
  • Robot - Traffic Light 
  • Shebeen - (Sha-Been) An informal Pub 
  • Sies - (Sis) n expression of disgust, can be used to refer to something yucky or gross.
  • Takkies - (Tack- Keys) Sneakers / Sport Shoes 
  • Vrot - Rotten, Bad or Blind Drunk 
  • Vuvuzela - (Voo-Voo-Ze-La)  Loud trumpets blown at sports events, made famous (infamous) at the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
  • Yebo - ( Yeah-Boh) Yes 

We hope the above serves you well on your Journey through our beautiful country South Africa that we call home.

We hope to see you soon.  

Come and Experience Johannesburg

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