Zimbabwe Slang Dictionary
Zimbabwean slang blends Shona and Ndebele with English into the lively everyday speech of Harare, Bulawayo and beyond. It shows up in Zimdancehall lyrics, campus banter, kombi ranks and social media, and it shifts quickly as each generation puts its own stamp on it. From street corners to WhatsApp groups, it's playful, sharp and full of local flavour. Explore the community-built dictionary of Zimbabwean slang below - and if a word you know is missing, be the first to define it.
someone might say, “Mazimba anoda kuenda kuJoni”—meaning, “Zimbabweans like going to Johannesburg” (often for work or business). The term is typically not derogatory but can carry a sense of national pride or identity in informal conversation.
My girlfriend has mudhoto
Haaah ma1 wangu! I don't even have taxi fare to get there.
I began to go through Butterfly effect after smoking a joint
really want some dobenya today,
im gona drown my self in dobenya today
He was learning Ndebele because of that girl.
I need to learn some Shona before visiting my friend in Harare.
Reintroduced in 2019 after a decade of using foreign currencies.
Zimbabwe's Great Zimbabwe ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage site from an ancient civilization.