SaltyCrax Backpackers
Saltycrax’s guide to South African slang
Can you speak “South African”? This well-known term stems from the 11 different languages spoken in South Africa. With such a diverse and multilingual country, no wonder South Africans have their unique language that everyone from every background understands.
To help you during your travels, here are a few useful South African slang words to better understand the locals and their lingo.
01
Babelas
Pronounced: [buh-be-las] A hangover.
Example: “I’ve got such a babelas after one too many drinks”
02
Bru
Pronounced: [brew] Can be used casually for men and women
Example: “Hey Bru, how are you?” or “My Bru, you are a legend”
03
Chommie
Pronounced: [chommy] Friend
Example: “Hey my chommie, it’s good to see you”
04
Chow
Pronounced: [Chow] Food, Meal or Eat
Example: “I’m hungry, let’s get some chow” or “Food is ready, let’s chow”
05
Eina
Pronounced: [ey-na] Ouch, both an exclamation and a noun
Example: “Eina! That hurt!” or “I’ve got an eina on my leg”
06
Eish
Pronounced: [eysh] An exclamation, usually used to express dismay
Example: “Eish, that bill was expensive”
07
Hectic
Pronounced: [hectic] Extreme, usually stressful
Example: “That conversation was hectic” or “That wave was hectic”
08
Howzit
Pronounced: [hows-it] Used to ask someone how they’re doing
Example: “Howzit my bru?”
09
Hayibo
Pronounced: [hai-bo] Wow!
Derived from the Zulu word, meaning “definitely not!” Usually expressed on its own or at the start of a sentence.
Example: “Hayibo!” or “Hayibo, I can not believe it”
10
Jol
Pronounced: [jol] Party or a good time, can be a noun or verb
Example: “That was such a jol” or “Are you coming to the jol tonight?”
11
Just now or now now
Pronounced: [just now] Sometime soon, anytime, soonish, in no specific time frame
Example: “I’ll get around to it just now” or “I will be there now now”
12
Kak
Pronounced: [kuk] Crap or awful
Example: “That was a kak game”
13
Lekker
Pronounced: [lak-kerr] Great, fresh, nice
Example: “It’s a lekker day today” or “You look lekker in that dress”
14
Oke
Pronounced: [oak] Male person, usually a stranger
Example: “I was waiting in line with a bunch of other okes”
15
Tune
Pronounced: [tune] Tell off or talk
Example: “Don’t tune me, it wasn’t my fault” or “What’s that you’re tuning me?”
16
Robot
Pronounced: [robot] A traffic light
Example: “Stop at the robot when it is red”