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.
I need to visit Vosloorus very soon.
I represent Katlehong till I die.
I can’t wait for Monday so that I can have mogodu at Mogodu Monday.
I saw your friend walking with elinye ilawu.
Good to see you, saluka. I last saw you after initiation school.
Afr: Daai makmoer moet my nie plaa nie-
Eng: that asshole shouldn't bother me
My ancestors were amapakati of Chief Ngqika.
u -> the
m -> child of, person of, thing of
Shulgi -> an ancient Sumerian king who deified him just like Jesus and so people were said to perform wonders “In the name of Shulgi”.
On seeing a ghost: I saw umshologu.
On seeing a magic performance: He’s using umshologu.
A church was in the old days called: The House of umshologu
On someone who loves to go to church: He’s the ash of the house of umshologu. (you can modernize the expression by using “furniture” instead of “ash”)
labafana babhema intashi
- these boys smoke intashi
That lady is a skhaftin last week she was with a different guy