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.

Ismayo is a Zulu slang term for vagina.
Example

Ngifuna sona ismayo tonight.

MXhosa 28 June 2025
Gregre is a Xhosa slang term for vagina.
Example

Ndibawela igregre namhlanje.

MXhosa 28 June 2025
GALXBOY is a South African streetwear brand which has its roots in the underground and rebellious youth street culture that dominates the urban centres of Mzansi.
Example

I am buying myself some GALXBOY clothes when I get paid.

Blessing 26 June 2025
Skipa is a South African term for a T-shirt.
Example

I need to buy that GALXBOY skipa very soon.

Blessing 26 June 2025
Administrative capital known for its jacaranda-lined streets and government buildings.
Example

Pretoria's Union Buildings house the South African presidency.

Travel Admin 23 June 2025
Coastal city with the busiest port in Africa and rich Indian cultural influences.
Example

Durban's Golden Mile beachfront is a major tourist attraction.

Travel Admin 23 June 2025
South Africa's scenic coastal city beneath Table Mountain.
Example

Cape Town's Robben Island held Nelson Mandela for 18 years.

Travel Admin 23 June 2025
South Africa's financial capital, born from gold mining and now a multicultural metropolis.
Example

Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum documents the struggle against racial segregation.

Travel Admin 23 June 2025
A diverse Southern African nation with multiple capitals, known for wildlife and post-apartheid development.
Example

South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first in Africa.

Travel Admin 23 June 2025
Mbhaqanga is the Xhosa version of Maskandi music.
Example

My dad is always listening to Mbhaqanga.

Percy 21 June 2025
Vosloorus is a large township situated south of Boksburg and just east of Katlehong in Ekurhuleni, just 30 kilometres south-east of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
Example

I need to visit Vosloorus very soon.

DRex 21 June 2025
Katlehong is a large township in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. It is 28 km south-east of Johannesburg and south of Germiston between two other townships of Thokoza and Vosloorus, next to the N3 highway. It forms part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
Example

I represent Katlehong till I die.

DRex 21 June 2025

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