Browse African Slang

Describes sweltering, very hot weather. The kind of dry heat Libya is known for.

Vraiment en Fang (Really in Fang)

أو لا (Or not)

An older man who spends on younger ladies (sugar daddy).

مبكبكة (Libyan pasta dish)

Sweet potato

Plusieurs fois (Many times)

Une fois (Once)

Two (Pair)

A heavy slap or punch.

Wrestling

Village (Village)

Mbandjock (Reference to sugar town)

Respect du chef (Chief respect)

Twenty shillings

Mbaqanga (Township jive)

Slang for pants/trousers (from French *bas*?), used when talking fashion.

Argent (Money)

Mbovu (Bad)

While it means 'bad' in standard Swahili, in slang it can mean 'cool/awesome' (similar to 'sick' in English).

Mbe! (Well!) - Starting a story

Mbegu/vitu vya kupanda (Seeds/planting things)

Quality seeds

Good seeds

Native seeds

Roasted meat

Various slang for a coward or weak person (each colorful – yuma is fool, mobobé is weakling). Usage: Azalaki kosakana lo...

Mbeng (Abroad/overseas)

Mbeng man (Person from abroad)

Prochain/autre fois (Next time/another time)

Mbere-khaki (Police officer)

Mbeya/mji (Mbeya/city)

Timu ya Mbeya (Mbeya team)

Mbi (Bad)

Je suis là (I'm here/I'm fine)

Poisson salé (Salted fish)

Maestro de preparación de mbika (Mbika preparation master)

Slang for police officer (Mbila from old term, Waya-waya mimics a siren). Usage: Mbila ezali ebele lelo na munu – Many c...

Mbindi (Black person/African)

Zimbabwean slang for a rich, flashy hustler (usually young). A mbinga is known for throwing cash around and living large...

Mbinguni/peponi (Heaven/paradise)

Dried grasshoppers

Village races

'Races on the floor,' a phrase meaning going nowhere despite effort (running in place). Used to describe futile efforts ...

Instrument traditionnel (Traditional instrument)

Whitefish

Zebra (Zebra)

Mtu mweusi (Dark-skinned person)

A dumb or dull person.

Mbo'o (Friend/buddy - Douala)