Introduction to South African slang

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It occurs to me that some ‘South African’ may occasionally pop up in my writing/spouting, so I thought it may be useful to provide you with a quick ‘glossary’ of common South African words and/or phrases you may encounter throughout this blog.

Travel blog. Travel photographer. Roadtrip4charity. Commercial photograher. Wedding photographer. Newborn photographer. Portrait photographer. Business photographer. Family photoshoots. Famiy photography. Business photographer. Road trip. Elton Cilliers. — South African flag at sunset

Lekker (Lack-er) –A word that I’m sure you’ve heard if you spend any amount of time in London. It is a word of many meanings and emotions, one of my favourite words ever.

YOU: “How was the steak?” , ME: “Lekker!” – Great, awesome!
YOU: “How are you?”, ME: “I’m lekker my bru/china*” – Fine, Good. *see bru and china below
YOU: “Here’s that £10 I owe you”, ME: “Lekker bru!” – Thank you.
YOU: “Thanks for the lift”, “ME: Lekker” – No problem, You’re welcome.

Bru / Brew (brew) – Brother (not necessarily blood related), mate.

“Thank you my bru” = “Thanks bro”
“My bru!” (in a happy/excited tone) = “Hey Bro!” – “Hey mate”
“My bru!” (in an annoyed / angry tone) = “Dude!” – “Bro!”

Howsit (Eng) (How-zit) / Hoesit (Afrikaans) (whose-it)– Hello, Hi, hey, how are you?

“Howsit my bru!” = “Hello bro” – “Hello mate”
“Howsit.” = “Hello”

China (China) – Mate, Bro

YOU: “How was your weekend?”, ME: “Lekker China” = “It was good thanks”
YOU: “I got you a coffee”, ME: “Lekker China” = “Thanks mate”, “Thank you bro”

Bliksem (blik-sim) – another word of various meanings and emotions

“Bliksem!” (pain) = “Shit!”, “Bollocks!”, “F**k!”. Typically said after sudden infliction of pain, for example kicking ones toe on a table.
“Bliksem!” (eager / excitement) = “OMG!”, “Wow!”. Typically heard following the passing of someone on the street that one finds very appealing.
“I’m going to bliksem you!” (stern, anger). – Hit. Typically heard just before needing to duck.
“You bliksem!” (surprised) = “You bastard!/bitch!”. Typically heard when surprising another by jumping out of a closest wearing a ‘Scream’ mask. Is often followed with “I’m going to bliksem you!”

Hundreds – see below

YOU: “Are you coming over tonight?”, ME: “Hundreds” = Absolutely.
YOU: “How are you?”, ME: “Hundreds!” = Good, Excellent.
YOU: “How does my bum look in these jeans?”, ME: “Hundreds!” = Great, Awesome. (NOTE: this is the default answer for any South African male asked this question)

Braai (Bry) – Barbecue, BBQ (made with wood and/or charcoal NOT gas!)

Chick – Babe, hon, girlfriend. Primarily used in the Kwazulu Natal region.

“This is my chick, Tammy”
“I love you chick” = “I love you babe/hon”

Yuslike (Yuss-like) – Wow!, OMG!, Damn!

“Yuslike, I’m suffering after last night” – OMG
“Yuslike that’s a sexy motorbike!” – Wow
“Yuslike, Brexit is still ongoing!” – Damn

So there you have it, a brief introduction to some commonly used South African words. I’ll update this glossary as and when necessary. If you feel I have left any obvious words out, please feel free to comment below.