List of South African Slang Words - Slang Terms Originating From Ethnic Minorities - South African Slang

South African Slang

The majority of Coloureds in South Africa speak Afrikaans. Those who speak English use the equivalent English words as slang. Many of the words used also occur in South African Indian speech.

• AAP – Girl/ Girlfriend
• Aapedill – Girl/Girlfriend
• Awe – "Howsit", "hello". A slang way of greeting someone
• befok – "mad"; also possibly "super cool", as in My broe daai kar is befok. Pronounced \ber fork\.
• betters – "To replenish" or "refill". Example: Ekse lets make a betters with the mineral
• boss – "nice" – "that girl is boss exse"
• bot – refer to gaam usually associated with a person, act or object that is either dodgy or gangster-like. (Originated from Afrikaans slang bot.)
• guy – similar to the American English word "dude"
• bolt/one out – used extensively in KZN. Means "by yourself" or "only one".
• chop – "stupid"or "pathetic" – "don't be such a chop (idiot).
• chup – "tattoo" – "cool chup exse"
• chow – "eat". or food.
• chuck – "leave". Equivalent of American "to bounce". Examples: "Come bru lets chuck" or "sorry can't go to the braai i gotta chuck." If you are funny you might say, "boet, I have to make like Norris and Chuck."
• crown/kroon – "money"; can also refer to virginity.
• dobbel – "gamble"
• duidelik – direct from Afrikaans, meaning "clear"; used to express clarity on something or excitement about something.
• eksê – from Afrikaans, translated it means "I say". Used in greeting i.e. "Whakind eksê" or in general speech.
• gaam – dodgy/gangster i.e. That person is gaam. (He is a gangster.)That place is gaam. (it is dodgy.)
• gam – derogatory term for Coloured Coloured people in South Africa. Derived from "Gham" or "Ham" referring to Ham in the Old Testament. It is a reference to the children of Noah's son Ham who were illegitimate and cursed into slavery by God.
• gammie – diminutive of 'Gam', derogatory term for coloured people in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town.
• gatsby – large chip roll with meat and lekker sauces (Cape Town)
• gully – "area" or "corner" (KZN)
• hard up – "in love"
• Hosh – "Hello"; also used before combat. Example in combat: Hosh, jy raak wys ("Hello, show me what you made of"). This gang-related word occurs inside as well as outside of prison: use at own discretion.
• jags – "horny". The first form occurs in Cape Town; the second predominates on the east coast of South Africa. May also mean "crazy" or "mad". Examples: Person A: I want to get robbed Person B: Are you jags? or Person A: Ek wil my werk verloor Person B: Is jy jags?.
• lekker/lukka – "nice" . The first form occurs more commonly; the second predominates in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
• lappie(pronounced *luppee*) – "cloth", "dish towel" "face cloth"
• maader – "the best", "excellent"
• meet up – Used in the Kwa-Zulu Natal region, a term usually used when saying "goodbye". For example: Lukka meet up ekse.
• miff – "gross", "disgusting". "That's completely miff!" "Oh my god it was so miff"
• min – to be completely disinterested in something. For example "so min for that jol" or "when you're min you win"
• mineral – pronounced 'min ral'; used by Indians as well. "Fizzy drink" such as Coke, Fanta, Sprite, etc. (KZN)
• "motjie" – wife/woman
• naai – "sex" (Western Cape) Also used as a noun "Jou ou naai" (literally "You screw") and used in the plural: "naaie" (literally more than one "screw"), meaning an undesirable person rather than the sexual act. Definitely not polite language.
• oweh – pronounced \ow where\, a way of saying "oh yes" or expressing delight.
• posie/pozzie – "home". Afrikaans-speakers tend to use the first for; English-speakers the second.
• press – "sex", as in: "I want to press my young one tonight" (KZN)
• shot – "good" or "correct" or "thanks" (depending on context). Example for the meaning "good" – Person A: What is 3+3? Person B: six Person A: shot. Example for the meaning "thanks": – Person: A I have bought you a sweet Person B: Shot.
• sunno – Initially an insult, but now used amongst friends as a greeting, as in: Whakind son
• Stukkie – "girl" or possibly "girlfriend"
• Tannie – "aunt", used by Afrikaans-speakers
• tops – "excellent", "the best"
• Toppie – "old man", used by Afrikaans-speakers
• Whakind – a greeting, usually used amongst guys only, and frowned upon when used in greeting women. This word can also express an enquiry about something, especially when used outside the Kwa-Zulu Natal region.
• What say/What you say/Wat sê jy – alternative for Whakind in the greeting-sense. English-speakers use the first and second forms; Afrikaans-speakers the third.
• Young one – Refer to "Stekkie"
• Skommel marstubate
• onetime – of course, without delay; often used as a positive reply to a question
• operate – lets perform or to have sex
• ou – a boy/man/guy, homo sapiens
  • Charr Ou/Charou/charo – Charr is from charring from the sun like charcoal(burnt wood) derogatory word for a dark Indian person
  • Bruin Ou – a Coloured person - mixed race
  • Wit(pronounced as vit) Ou – a White person
  • Correct Ou – a good guy
  • Gorra Ou – a White person (insulting usage)
  • Darkie ou/ darky ou - an African/black person
  • Pekkie Ou – a Black African person (derogatory; from the Zulu word for "cook")
  • Slum Ou – a Muslim person (derived from the words Islam/Muslim)

(used in KZN)

• boss – a salute to an unfamiliar person, or person in authority (usually to a male), as in 'you know what it is boss'.
• bra – a way of addressing a friend, as in 'Howzit my bra'. 'bra' derived from 'brother'
• bung – (from Afrikaans 'bang' — to be scared) to be afraid of someone.
• crown – money
• condai – bus conductor.
• graft – meaning work... "hey kazzie, im grafting at coconut grove, lakkaz ekse"
• kêrel – police man
• hit a luck – expression, to have met with good fortune. as in, 'hey my bru hit a luck, eee got graft at the Casino'. Also often noted in the form hit such a luck.
• choon – to tell someone something.
• clips – Money, 1 clip = R100
• laanie – From the Afrikaans word meaning "fancy", but used by Indian people to mean "smart guy" ("Smart" as in "well-to-do") or, more frequently, "boss". Compare larnie.
• lakkaz – meaning lekker from the Afrikaans language.
• late – A euphemism for dead/deceased; as in 'My daddy is 2 years late'. (Unconnected with the idea of tardiness.)
• lets vy – lets go; (vy pronounced as vuy same like buy) ...(used especially by Durban Indians)
• maader – excellent, very good (used especially by Durban Indians)
• min-rill – from the English word "mineral", meaning mineral water; taken to mean any fizzy drink in a bottle, normally Coke, Fanta, etc.
• plot – pursue romantically, courting
• poke – stab
• pozzy – house or home; place where one lives or hangs out.
• pehrer – a fight. (Often heard as "Who's gunning a pehrer?" meaning "Who's looking for a fight?")
• slaan – wear (as in clothes)
• Vrou – my wife, as in 'Ek sê, I must first ask my Vrou'; from the Afrikaans word for 'wife"/"woman".
• vying-going, as in we vying to the soccer
• speech – an argument
• stekie – girl/girlfriend
• swaai – to dance. (For example: "Lets vaai (go) swaai.")
• swak – bad
• what kind – Greeting, similar to Howzit
• what what – mostly used in arguments, meaning "this and that". Often heard as what you say what what
• spiet – to fight
• slow boat – Splif/Joint – Normally related to marajuana
• Para/Pareh – to fight/argument
• pulling moves – related to doing some sort of crime or fraud
• 100's / Hundreds – Relating to being ok, for example: "I am hundreds today after last nights jol"
• bust up – Big party involving lots of drugs and booze.
• pull in – literally means to invite Example: "Pull in to my pozzy tonight, gona have a bust up"
• benou – (pronounce BER-NOW) – marijuana or dagga. Commonly used by Indians in Gauteng. "no benou there?"-do you have any dagga?
• koex – drink ("what you koexing?" – what are you drinking?)
• sharp – goodbye, ("shap im out" – goodbye I'm leaving)
• aspriss (pron. arse-priss) – to intentionally do something ("I closed the door on him aspriss")
• ghushesh – bmw 325is
• arrawise – greeting, derived from the English word 'otherwise' ("arrawise bra watse?")