Mntase

Short for mntasekhaya. A Xhosa term of endearment for family i.e siblings, cousins or even a dear friend.


- Yho mntase, you should have seen the way he looked at me.

- Never let men play you, mntase. Banyise bonke.

Lezothi

A beautiful person


Bona lezothi

Braai

A widely used noun and verb for an outdoor ‘barbecue’ where meat is cooked over a fire or coal. A braai is a popular social event in South Africa and even has its own dedicated public holiday, known as National Braai Day, which coincides with Heritage Day celebrated annually on September 24.


Let's go buy some beer and some meat for tonight's braai.

dese

Used in saying someone or something done is cool. It also depends on how you say what you are trying to say.


O dese!- Your cool/ You are cool!
E dese!- Its cool!

Ziyakhala

It's a Zulu word that describes your are going through a lot or bad things are about to happen to you


Ziyakhala ke manje

Hun

Hun is a South African slang term for a girl or chick.


Khayelitsha huns will finish your money and leave you.

Underground gang

A skrr skrr way of referring to the ancestors.


You fam, the underground gang won't be happy about that.

Bhakaniya

This is the Orlando Pirates football club from Soweto, South Africa. A person who is a fan of Pirates can also be referred to as Bhakaniya.


Bhakaniya has not won the league in a while now.

Idinga

Idinga is a very formal Xhosa term for a date. Not a date as in 13 May, I mean a date as in you go on a date with someone.


I'm going to the mall at 5, ndinedinga with my wife.

Smonday

The moment Sunday stops feeling like a Sunday and the anxiety of Monday kicks in.


It’s starting to feel like Smonday now 😭



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