Afrikanerisms

This list of "Afrikanerisms" comprises slang words and phrases influenced by Afrikaans
and other African languages. Typical users include people with Afrikaans as their first
language but who speak English as a second language; and people living in areas where
the population speaks both English and Afrikaans. Many of these terms also occur
widely amongst ethnic/native South Africans. These terms do not occur in formal South
African English. Fanakalo also refers to when people of non Zulu origin attempt to
speak Zulu without the proper pronunciation and throat sounds. Fanakalo in Zulu
literally means "same as this" (fana same, ka as, lo this).

ag man oh man; ag as the Afrikaans equivalent to "oh" (pronounced \ach\ like

German ACHtung), man pronounced as in English.
antie an older female authority figure. [Derived from the English "aunt".]

anties breasts

aweh/awe (pronounced \AAAH-WHERE\ --> not rolling the "R") said in

excitement, as in: Aweh; my boss said I can go home early today. The word has
many meanings or uses: "hello", "goodbye", "yes". Also associated with prison
use. (Greeting) "Aweh, my bru." (Hello my friend). Similar: howzit, yooit,
hoesit, yo.

baas boss

babbelbekkie Someone who talks a lot

babelaas / babbelas hangover (of Zulu origin)

bakgat cool; expression of appreciation for something very well accomplished

bakkie a utility truck or pick-up truck, now a mainstream word in South

African English. Can also refer to a small container.

bakvissie a giggly teenage girl (from bakvis, a fish too small to be kept and
thrown back into the water).

bale (TV) used to signify annoyance (pronounced barlee)

befok really good, exciting, cool; as in "The rock-show was befok." [Do not
confuse with gefok.] Can also mean "crazy" in a very strong sense, as in "Are
you befok?" derogatory. Can also mean "to have sex with".

bek derogatory term for mouth (Afrikaans: an animal's mouth); Hou jou bek!
"shut up!" , "Shut your trap!" (literally: "hold your [animal's] mouth"). This
translates well into British English as "Shut your gob."

bergie from Afrikaans berg, which translates to "mountain", originally

referring to vagrants who sheltered in the forests of Table Mountain; now a
mainstream word for a particular subculture of vagrants, or homeless persons,
especially in Cape Town.

bill used to ask for the cheque; as in: "Can I have the bill, please?", identical to
British English.

biltong dried meat, similar to jerky (a mainstream word)

blerrie/bladdy hell damn/damnit

bliksem strike, hit, punch; also used as an expression of surprise/emphasis. It

derives from the Dutch word for "lightning", and often occurs in conjunction
with donner. Used as a curse in Afrikaans: "Jou bliksem!" (You bastard!)

bioscope, bio cinema, movie theatre (now dated), originally an international

English word that became defunct elsewhere, it has survived longer in South
Africa[1] as a result of the influence of the Afrikaans cognate bioskoop. Also
related to the Dutch word "bioscoop", which still means "cinema" in
Netherlands usage.

blou being sad, as in the English language feeling blue

bloutrein literally "blue train", referring to methylated spirits, sometimes used

for drinking (filtered through a loaf of white bread). Also refers to the Blue Train
(two words), a luxury train that travels from Pretoria to Cape Town.

boer literally "farmer" in Afrikaans. English-speaking people use the word to

indicate an Afrikaans farmer, especially in a derogatory way, like "country
bumpkin", "boorish"; but Afrikaners use it with much pride, indicating a person
with a deep love of the soil of Africa, a provider of food. boere (the plural form)
can also refer to the police. "Boer" does not only refer to an Afrikaans farmer,
but also to a proudly Afrikaans person, whether he farms for a living or not.

boerewors popular type of sausage in South Afric. In Afrikaans, literally

"farmer-sausage", used as a mainstream word in South African English.

boet male friend (from boetie, informal form of broer meaning brother, see
also bru and bra below); compare American English: "dude"

bokkie (diminutive of bok, literally meaning "little buck" or "doe") a popular

term of endearment, comparable to "sweetheart", "honey", etc.

boom Literal translation is "tree" but is commonly used to refer to marijuana

bosberaad strategy meeting held outdoors, for example in a game reserve

bossies, or bosbefok crazy, whacko, mad. Also a term for one who has shell
shock. Refers to the time of the South African Border War where soldiers spent
time in the bush ("bos/bosse") and would return home suffering battle flashbacks (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

bradley - vagina

brak mongrel dog, can also refer to brackish water.

broekie panties or ladies underwear. From Afrikaans: broek, meaning

"trousers". Common usage: "Don't get your broekies in a knot" which means
"Calm down".

broekie lace ornate ironwork found on Victorian buildings (lit. 'pantie lace'),
the tie that you find on board shorts

bra male friend

bru A term of affection. (see also "bra" and "boet"). Shortened from Afrikaans
broer, meaning "brother". An example would be "Hey, my bru, howzit?"

buk Put your head down quickly, as in "Buk when you go in the door, it's
really low."

button mandrax tablet (Slang Only)

braai a barbecue, to barbecue (from braaivleis - grilled meat), used as a

mainstream word in South African English.

cheekyprawn a term of foul abuse

cherry "meddie", see tjerrie

china/chine a friend; as in the greeting Howzit my china? Likely origin:

Cockney rhyming slang "China plate" (meaning "my mate"); from early British
immigrants.

chan a derogatory term for an overweight, metrosexual South African. (likely

origin: derived from the slang term china/chine). Also used as a variation to bru
and bra.

chommie/chomma a friend (similar to English "chum"); also refers to the

perineum area between vagina and anus. Also spelled tjommie.

choty goty beautiful girl

chrisco a party/disco where Christian music mainly features. A combination of

the words 'Christian' and 'Disco'.

Chwee chweereekeys getting high

cuiter somebody one has a strong dislike for. It has a similar meaning to the
word cunt in the English language.

cullis young girl who is extremely lead.

dagga most commonly used word for marijuana.

dikbek grumpy, in a huff (literally: "thick mouth" (pout), with an image of

puffed-out cheeks like a bullfrog)

dinges thingamabob, a wotzit or a whatchamacallit. Dutch - dinges.

doos literally the Afrikaans translation for "box". Depending on context, the
slang/derogatory version can mean prat, twat or idiot.

domkop idiot (lit. Dumbhead), same as German "Dummkopf" or Dutch

"domkop"

donner to beat up. Used together with "bliksem". Derived from "donder"
(thunder, related to Thor). Amounts to an ancient curse. Like "Nick i'm going to
donner you"

dof stupid or slow to understand.

dop alcohol, to drink alcohol, to fail. For example: "Come and drink a dop (a
drink) with me" or "I'm gonna dop that test." Originally refers to a tot (measure).

dorpie small town

doss, dorse, dossing Sleep or nap.

Drowors (Afrikaans) 'dry sausage', similar to biltong

dronkie drunkard

druk to embrace or squeeze, hug (noun) "Gee my 'n drukkie," "Give me a

hug." (not necessary sexually)

dwankie someone or something that is lame, stupid, uncool, or generally

undesirable. Generally used as an insult or in a derogatory way. Zef slang] Can
be used as both a noun: "Look at those dwankies over there!" and an adjective:
"My chinas have gone dwankie!"

eina! ouch! used as a mainstream word in South African English. [Probably of

Khoisan origin.]

eish! - Wow! What? Expression of surprise. Of Bantu origin.

ek s I say!

entjie Cigarette. For example, "Awe ou. Steek 'n ent!"

flaterwater correction fluid (e.g.: Tipp-Ex, Wite-Out) [comes from flater

(mistake) and water (water)]

flou an unfunny (weak) joke (from the Afrikaans word for weak), can also
refer to weak coffee or tea or weak alkoholic drink. A person that is weak. (Die
man is te flou "The man is too weak").

fok Afrikaans for "fuck", can be used in most ways it is used in English.
Fokken = fucking, gefok = fucked. Dutch - Fokken = breeding (animals).

goffel Ugly girl/woman. For example,"What a G!". Also a degrading term for a
person of coloured origin.

gomgat bumpkin, redneck (in the US sense, not to be confused with rooinek,
the literal translation of redneck).

goof, ghoef swim, take a dip

gooi throw, chuck or to "tune" (see below) someone.

goose also chick, cherry : a young woman or girlfriend (used mainly during
the 1950s, now dated) also famous line by South African comedian Barry Hilton

houding character or style

heita "hello" or "hi". It was from this that telecommunications company

Telkom got the name 8.ta for their mobile addition.

hoesit, hoezit, howzit derived from "How is it going? contracted to how's it?
_In English SA context, howzit is more a greeting of "hello" rather than "how
are you?", similar to SA black slang's "eta" or "ola"

in sy moer badly damaged, destroyed (rude, often considered profanity due to

'moer' to beat up).

ja yeah (literally "yes" in Afrikaans)

jux/juks/jags Meaning "horny". For example, "Jinne meisie, jy maak my nou

sommer lekker jags."

ja-nee literally "yes-no", an expression of positive confirmation.[2] Example :

Dis warm vandag. ("It's hot today") : Ja-nee ("Indeed")

jislaaik! expression of surprise, can be positive or negative. Often used when

you get a fright, but equally often during particularly exciting parts of a rugby
game.

jo an expression of surprise e.g., "Jo, that was rude" "Jo, you gave me a
fright!" pron. yo as in New York)

jol to have fun, to party, can also refer to a disco or party, to commit adultery
or even dating or courting

kak Literal translation : shit. crap, rubbish, nonsense (vulgar), of very wide
usage. Also used as a way of further expressing one's feeling in language, for
example, instead of "that girl is pretty" one can say emphatically "that girl is kak
pretty!"

katkop half a loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with chips (i.e. French fries,
not crisps. Often regarded as basic prison food. (Literal translation from
Afrikaans = cat head or cat's head). In South Africa French fries refers to thinly
cut fried potato chips, whereas slap tjips (lit. limp chips) refers to the thicker
British-style chip. Crispy potato chips are known as potato crisps.

khaki [from the colour worn by British troops] derogatory term for an English
person

krels police (original Afrikaans meaning: guys, chaps). "The krels are
coming, watch out!" (Dated). More commonly referring to boyfriend or literal
translation : Guy or young man. Dutch - kerels.

kiff, kif, kief (adjective) wicked, cool, neat, great, wonderful. The word derives
from the Arabic word 'kif' meaning pleasure or marijuana. This may also be
related to the Afrikaans word for poison: gif. Coastal pot-smokers used the term
to refer to Durban Poison: "Gifs" [locally-grown marijuana]. The word evolved
into kiff, an adjective or exclamation meaning "cool", amongst English-speaking
people on the east coast.

klankie unpleasant smell. Also said as just "Klank". Pronounced as in "Clunk"

klap to smack. (From Afrikaans). "He got klapped in the bar". Like a "bitchslap".

koffie-moffie a camp male waiter or air steward. See "moffie".

kont same as 'Cunt' in English (profanity)

krimpie old person

kwaai cool, excellent (Afrikaans: "angry". Compare the US slang word phat.)

kydaar Visitor from northern provinces, especially Gauteng, to Cape Town; from
"kyk daar!" - "just look at that!". see also "soppiekoppie"

lag to laugh. For example: They lag at the joke.

laaitie, lighty a younger person, esp. a younger male such as a younger brother
or son

lank lots/a lot

laanie, larny (n) boss, used in a deferent tone. (adj) fancy

las 1. an act that is undesirable to commit, a burden. 2. To tell someone or

suggest to stop doing an act. (origin: something that is slowing you or an object
down; for example, "'n Las in die pad.", meaning "An object as in a stone in the
road.")

lus to have a craving for. "I lus for a cigarette". (Also see "smaak".)

lekker nice, good, great (lit. tasty), for example "tik, tik is lekker".

loskind a really slutty girl, usually wears revealing clothes and is easy to get
with (for example: "Sarah is 'n fokken loskind!")

loskop air head, literally a "lost head" refers to someone whose head is in the
clouds, clumsy, forgetful.

maaifoedie motherfucker, as in " Jou maaifoedie "

maat friend (OED), also your partner (wife, girlfriend)

mal mad, crazy, insane

mallie mother

mamparra idiot

mmchakawally Cigarettes
o

mugwaai - Cigarette

entjie - Cigarette

Gebruiker - Cigarette

mielie millet corn (AmE) / maize (BrE), staple diet

muggie bug, especially a little flying gnat

moegoe stupid person, coward, or weakling

moffie male homosexual (derogatory). Can be compared to "fairy". From

"mofskaap", castrated sheep.

moer-toe stuffed up or destroyed (my car is moer-toe)

o

moerse - big, ex: "thats a moerse house"

moer - to hit / to fight with, ex: "he is gonna moer you"

mompie retard. ("Liesl, you are such a mompie!")

morne boring, sterile, unexciting. ("This is more morne than watching

Saracens play!")

mos Afrikaans, implies that what has been said is well known or self-evident (a
formal part of grammar, the closest English equivalent would be "duh!"). "Ek
drink mos tee." ("I drink tea, duh!"). Used at the end of a sentence, as in "...Jy
weet mos." ("...Obviously, as you know ... ")

motivate (English) -- from Afrikaans "to justify or provide reasons for a

suggestion or proposal", as opposed to English "inspire".

naai (Afrikaans) - copulate; but strictly speaking "sew" - from action of sewing
machine needle.

naartjie (Afrikaans) tangerine, mandarin, satsuma any peelable orangecoloured citrus fruit with neat segments; used as a mainstream word in South
African English, and a dietary staple. Often thrown at T.V. when frustrated with
referee decisions.

N.A.A.F.I. (pronounced NAAFI) acronym for: "No Ambition and Fuck-all

Interest"; (originated from the (still existing) British military "Navy, Army and
Air Force Institute") referring to a lazy person. Used extensively during the days
of National Service.

n? do you know what I mean/agree?, oh really?, is it not so? or British

English "innit?". From the French "n'est-ce pas" meaning "Isn't it?". e.g. "Jy hou
van tee, n?" ("You like tea, not so?") (informal). The South African English
equivalent is "hey", for example "Eish, its cold hey?".

nogal of all things. Term expressing a measure of surprise

nooit never, no way, unbelievable!

oom an older man of authority, commonly in reference to an older Afrikaans

man (Afrikaans for uncle)

ou (plural ouens) man, guy, bloke (also oke) (literally "old")

ouballie old man, dad; as in: "shaft me, ouballie" "My ouballie (father, dad)
will be home soon".

ousie Term used to refer to a maid, usually a black female; Also used by black
females to call/refer to each other

pap traditional maize porridge similar to grits; can also mean "deflated".

paraat disciplined. Somebody who is paraat, generally has "houding"i.e style /

character

plaas lit. : farm. Also, when someone falls down : Plaas gekoop.

platteland rural area, country (as in living in the country, as opposed to living
in the city)

piel derogatory term for a male genitalia ("cock" or "dick")

poepol - (from poephol, arse)an idiot. lit. an arsehole, but not as derogatory.

poes derogatory term for a female genitalia ("pussy" or "cunt")

pommie, pom derogatory term for an English person (borrowed from

Australia)

rooinek ("red neck") Afrikaner derogatory term for English person or Englishspeaking South African. Derived in the 19th century due to native British not
being used to the hot African sun and getting sunburnt, especially on the neck.
Almost the exact opposite to the American usage of "redneck". Alternative
explanation, reference to the fact that British officers during the two Boer Wars
had red collars.

sat tired, dead "Ek is siek en sat van sy nonsens" I'm sick and tired of his
nonsense", see 'vrek' below (pronounced as sut in English)

sies, "sis" expression of disgust, disappointment, annoyance, as in: Ag, sies,

man.
o

Sie-sah - expression of Goodness, or of disgust, depending on context.

scrompie slang for "hobo" or bergie. (Liesl told her 7-year-old son, Karl, to
walk away from the scrompie walking towards them.)

skapie someone who might be referred to as a "pussy". Literally "little sheep".

skeef skewed, gay, as in: hy het 'n bietjie skeef voorgekom (he seemed a bit
gay)

skief to glare at someone (root: Afrikaans 'skeef', skew)

skop, skiet en boomklim literally "kicking, shooting and climbing trees". A

colloquial description of an action film, usually of the lighter, more humorous
kind. (Think Jackie Chan.)

skop, skiet en donner literally "kicking, shooting and beating people up". A
colloquial description of an action movie of the more violent kind. (Think JeanClaude Van Damme.)

skelm (pronounced: Skellem) crook or trouble-maker, mistress, secret lover, on

the sly

skinner, skinder gossip

skop kick

skort watch out, be careful or something is wrong here.

skraal very hungry. (Durban region, from Afrikaans for "thin" or "emaciated".)

skrik fright

skyf cigarette, a puff, and also less commonly marijuana or dagga.

slapgat English translation "lazy arse", also can refer to something badly put
together, "Hy het dit slapgat gemaak" (he put it together haphazardly)

slaptjips (pronounced as "slup chips") similar to thick-cut British chips;

usually soft, oily and soaked in vinegar, usually bought in a brown paper bag.
Slap is Afrikaans for "limp". French fries refers to thinly cut chips. Crispy potato
chips are referred to as 'crisps'.

smaak to like another person or thing. "Seems" as in "smaak my ..." I get the
impression that ...

smaak stukkend to like very much or to love to pieces (literal meaning of

stukkend). "I smaak you stukkend" = "I love you madly".

smeerlaken Afrikaans lit. "spread" + "sheet" i.e. an Excel or Lotus worksheet

sneeudier old person

soek to look for trouble with someone/to antagonise/to stir up trouble = "you
soeking with me?" Afrikaans: "to seek or look for".

sommer for no particular reason, just because

soppiekoppie - derogatory term for up-country visitor to Cape Town, from

"pasop die koppie" ("careful of your little head!")from the habit of fathers
carrying their small children on their shoulders and warning them of the low
door-frames in old buildings in Cape Town

sosatie a kebab on a skewer, used as mainstream word in South African

English.

soutpiel/soutie derogatory term for English person, literally salty penis.

Someone with one foot in England, the other in South Africa and their penis
hanging in the Atlantic Ocean

steek stab, poke (with knife). "He/she steeked her/him" = "He/she poked
her/him". Also see "naai" = Nick steeked me stukkend.

stukkie, stekkie a woman (from the Afrikaans meaning "a piece") mostly
used when referring to a woman that you have/have casual encounters with,
girlfriend

stoep porch, verandah, like American English stoop, but pronounced with a
shorter vowel

stompie a cigarette butt, a short person or impolite term to refer to the

remaining arm/leg/finger after an amputation.

stukkend (Afrikaans) broken, a lot. Also commonly used when someone is

hungover. For example, "I am so stukkend".

swak broke. Original Afrikaans: weak. "I'm swak, ek s". Also used to suggest
that someone's behaviour was harsh (with varying degrees of seriousness,
depending on tone and context), for example: "It's swak that I failed the test"

tekkies sneakers. (The Anglicised pronunciation tackies has become

mainstream in South African English.)

tiet English equivalent Boob or Breast (from 'teat')

tet breast or boob

toppie, ou toppie father see ouballie

trek to move or pull. (The word has become international with the meaning of
"making a pioneering journey"; the slang usage more closely resembles the
standard Afrikaans meaning.)

tuinbooi Term used to refer to a gardener, usually a black gardener

TVP (tiener velprobleem) Acne problems

vaalie mildly derogatory term used by people on the coast for a tourist from
inland (Root: Old Transvaal province)

vellies veldskoene, traditional Afrikaans outdoors shoes made from hide

verkramp politically conservative or pessimistic, the opposite of verlig, or

enlightened

voertsek, voetsek get lost, buzz off, go away, run, scram, stuff off, bugger off
(it can be considered rude, depending on the context) usually used when

referring to an animal. From the Dutch "vort, zeg ik" - used with animals,
meaning "Go away!" or "Get moving"

vrek Afrikaans meaning for an animal dying. Possibly from Dutch "verrekken"
to dislocate?

vrot bad, rotten, putrid, sometimes drunk

vrotbek someone who swears a lot or is swearing a lot at the moment.

vry to make out or courting (equivalent to American "necking", British

"snogging" or Australian "pashing")

Vrystaat vernier Shifting spanner

waai slang for "to go". Durbanites like to say "Hey, let's waai pozzy." = Let's
go home.

woes wild, untidy, unkempt or irreverent. A general term pertaining to either a

person, behaviour or situation

wys - multiple meanings - to insult(see tune) or to say e.g. "Yoh, John wys me
after I told him to shut up!"

yoh an expression of surprise e.g., "Yoh, that was rude" "Yoh, you gave me a
fright!", (Police-chief talking about the poor physique of his policemen) "They
should look at our men and say "yoh!".

zef from Ford Zephyr car, cheap to tune-up; cool, rough guy; common person;
kitsch.

zol a homemade cigarette rolled with old newspaper or rizlas (likely

marijuana-filled) joint (equivalent to American "doobie")

zamalek Black Label Lager, locally brewed under licence (derived from the
Egyptian football team of the same name because of the team colors) A very
popular local beer because of the high alcohol content