Browse African Slang

Let's go / move.

At the top / ahead.

(Zulu/Xhosa, 'my love') A romantic way to say 'my beloved.' Often shortened to just s'thandwa (love). Used similarly to ...

Trio / group of three.

Cash register/tuck shop desk.

Slang for “no” or an emphatic negation (possibly from mixing vernacular).

Jealous watchers.

To know or be skilled at something.

Zimbabwe’s staple food: a stiff maize-meal porridge. Not really “slang” (it’s the proper name), but sometimes used figur...

A South African (often used playfully, especially by expats – derived from “S.A.F.A.”).

Bag / secure.

We build (Zulu).

Divisão de estar (Living room)

A township slang (from Zulu sabalaza) meaning to hustle or make ends meet by selling petty goods. If someone is sambaza-...

Afrikaans for a little sample or a small amount

A traditional healer or shaman. Not slang (it's the actual term), but widely used even in English conversation

Hungry for success.

Sandwich. A light-hearted diminutive

Playful critique of SA's issues.

Sauce

To steal something (like “scaling” it out secretly).

Freelancer hustler (scalping gigs).

Joking about wave of scams.

To look at or check out.

Disorganized / messy person.

To steal or pilfer (origin possibly Yiddish).

A nonsense phrase from a Patapaa song that went viral as a meme. Used on social media to ask “what’s your take on this?”...

Food (British-origin slang, also used by Zimbabweans informally).

Score

Unrelated to the drink, scotch in SA Indian slang means to steal/filch. In Durban especially

Older / vintage style.

Living through hard times.

Locked in / confirmed.

Song/chant; slang for trending tune.

Having trending energy.

Crazy year / wild period.

"Are you serious?" emphasis.

Chill gatherings / meetups.

A criminal or gangster (alternative spelling *skebenga*).

An exclamation similar to “eish,” expressing exasperation or surprise.

An expression of sympathy, endearment, or cuteness. Closer to 'aww' or 'oh dear'.

A township slang combo meaning 'all is good, we're cool.' Shap (or sharp) means okay, and fede comes from steady

All good / fine.

Hit / take a shot / go ahead.

Means 'OK' or 'cool.' Often repeated: 'Sharp sharp!' as a friendly sign-off or agreement.

Means 'all good' or an affirmative like 'sure thing.' Repeating sharp emphasizes you're very fine or that you agree comp...

A combo of two slang terms used in a greeting exchange. "Sharp" means all good/okay, and "fede" (from Sotho/Tswana "How ...

Goodbye, okay, or everything is great; often doubled for emphasis

Alcohol or partying (from “shine your eyes” or Yoruba for liquor).

A township tavern or informal bar, often unlicensed