Browse African Slang

Rest time dances

Serpent (Snake)

Vache, personne lente (Cow, slow person)

Ng'ombe/mtu mjinga (Cow/stupid person)

Ngomna (Government)

Late afternoon/evening greeting, often used to mean “good evening.”

Assemblée, réunion (Assembly, meeting)

Heure (Hour) - Lingala

Cloche traditionnelle (Traditional bell)

Tomate seco tradicional (Traditional dried tomato)

Kɔnɔkɔrɔni, donsobala (Small guitar, hunter's instrument)

Serious trouble or problem.

Bonde la Ngorongoro (Ngorongoro crater)

To prank or trick (play on “heart” or flipping something).

Porc sauvage (Wild boar) - terme forestier

Sauce d'arachide épaisse (Thick peanut sauce)

Elfu tano (Five thousand)

Cérémonie bwiti (Bwiti ceremony)

Arachides (Peanuts)

Viande de porc (Pork)

Roast pork

Congolais de l'étranger (Congolese from abroad)

Porco selvagem (Wild boar)

Dur, difficile (Hard, difficult) - Swahili

Houe (Hoe)

Catfish

Mavazi (Clothes)

Nguo/mavazi (Clothes/clothing)

Traditional clothes

Much strength

Youth power

Power poles

Cultural pillars

Ngw'iki? (Like what?) - Questioning

Ngwaga (Year)

Ngwana (Child)

Ngwana yo o sa leleng o swela tharing (Child who doesn't cry dies on mother's back)

Ngwanaka (My child)

Ngwanatsele (November)

Kuku wa kienyeji (Local chicken)

Boîte de nuit (Nightclub)

Ngwedi (Moon)

Slang for a henchman or sidekick friend (similar to *fuzi*).

Crocodilo (Crocodile)

Scar (metaphor for past struggle).

Literally 'person from under the sea.' A playful term for a foreigner from Europe (white person). In folklore, those fro...

“Sleep” or “sleepiness” (like the state of sleep). Usage: Ngól ezoboma ngai na classe – Sleepiness is killing me in clas...

Meu amigo (My friend)

Meu coração (My heart/love)

Minha mãe (My mother)