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.
Ndifuna ukuthetha inkunzi yebhokhwe.
I want to buy a male goat.
I need to find a date for Valaza next year.
I see Orlando Pirates just hired a plumber to replace Riveiro.
Did you see him, yimbudlu-middle after he got a job.
I am buying myself some GALXBOY clothes when I get paid.
Durban's Golden Mile beachfront is a major tourist attraction.
Pretoria's Union Buildings house the South African presidency.
Cape Town's Robben Island held Nelson Mandela for 18 years.
Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum documents the struggle against racial segregation.
South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first in Africa.
My dad is always listening to Mbhaqanga.