Browse African Slang

Night cold

Rice (Somali) - Staple food often mentioned

White rice

Cook rice

Baril vendu (Barrel sold)

أحلام باريستا (Barista dreams)

Bonjour/Salut (Hello/Hi)

Stop it/enough

Bark (Tree bark medicine)

Bénédiction

Bénédiction

Barka (Thank you - Mooré)

Bon vendredi

Barka yaa Wẽnde (Thanks is to God)

برقة (Cyrenaica / Eastern region)

Divine blessing

Blessed person

Parliament

Responsable bar (Bartender)

Literally “barrel,” joking slang for someone who eats a ton or has gained weight. Usage: Ever since exams started I’ve b...

Kumaɲɔgɔnya kɛ, ka kuma ni mɔgɔ ye (To chat, to talk with someone)

Lightning

برق لامع (Lightning flash)

Outside

Outside; out

Means 'outside,' but also used as a command 'get out!'. Doubling it – barra barra – emphasizes telling someone to scram.

برة برة (Outside outside / get out)

Get lost (very vulgar)

A small informal bar or makeshift stall (also used for neighborhood hangout spot).

Briga grande (Big fight)

Sira datugu yɔrɔ, route fermer place (Road close place, checkpoint)

Projet de barrage

Outsider/stranger

A thousand francs CFA (Origin: Nouchi - Ivorian slang)

Barriga cheia (Full belly)

Cumpleaños del barrio (Neighborhood birthday)

Fuente de orgullo del barrio (Barrio pride source)

Fou (Crazy)

Rap lyrics/Verses (Rap lines)

Means “a lot/a ton” in Tunisian dialect. Used for very or much.

Père fondateur (Founding father)

Handwritten letter

Luxurious house

Egyptian pronunciation of “بس” meaning “but” or “only.” Often used as an interjection for “enough” or “stop.”

Bas (To leave - Mooré)

Only; just; stop

Enough (Arabic-French)

Wait for the bus

Région côtière (Coastal region)

Zone basse (Low area)