The A-Z of South African slang ahead of the G20 Summit

With just days to go before the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, it's the perfect time to embrace South Africa's vibrant culture, and maybe even sound like a true local. While the country boasts 12 official languages, there's a 13th, unofficial language that everyone loves: South African slang. 

Known as the Rainbow Nation for its diversity, South Africans have created a lively vocabulary that's as colorful as the country itself.

This A–Z of popular South Africanisms will help any visitor feel instantly at home. Whether you're eager to greet someone with a friendly "Howzit?" or curious about when to say "Eish," learning a few local phrases might just earn you an invite to a "lekker braai."

South Africanisms are sprinkled into everyday conversation, making chats more expressive, a lot more fun and sometimes a little confusing for first timers. But don't worry, this guide will have you speaking like a seasoned local and feeling the "ubuntu" that makes South Africa so special.

Ag (a-gh): An exclamation or sign of exasperation. Pronounce the Afrikaans "g" as you would "gh" similar to the English "urgh" or the raspy sound made when saying hē in Chinese. "Ag, no man!"

Braai (br-eye): To barbecue. To grill meat on an open fire, usually as a social gathering. "Come over for a braai on Saturday."

Chommie/chomi/chom/choms (cho-mee): Friend, buddy or pal. A term of endearment used to refer to someone you're friendly with. "Hey chommie, how are you?"

Dop: Refers to alcohol or to drink alcohol. Comes from the Afrikaans word "doppie" meaning "lid" or "bottle cap" because it's about the size of a single tot or shot. "Do you want to meet for a dop?"

Eish (Ay-sh): An isiZulu and isiXhosa expression with multiple meanings, from resignation to exasperation to pleasant surprise. "Eish! That was a bad game" or "Eish! She's got great moves on the dance floor."

Flou (flow): From the Afrikaans word for "weak," flou could refer to something being unfunny or underwhelming, can refer to a weak coffee or tea, or can even be used to express feeling weak. "That joke was so flou." "This Americano tastes very flou."

Gatvol (ghut-foll): Fed up and irritated. Here again, the "g" is pronounced as you would "gh" similar to the English "urgh" or the raspy sound made when saying hē in Chinese. "I'm gatvol of her attitude.

Howzit?: A common greeting used in South Africa. It's basically the short of form of the question "how is it?" or "how is it going?" In most cases, it's used as a greeting rather than a question. "Howzit, everybody. Thanks for being here."

Iyoh (ee-yoh): An exclamation of surprise, stun or disbelief, and can often been phrase simply as "yoh." "Iyoh! I didn't see that coming."

Jol (jorl): Typically used in Afrikaans, it means "to party" or "to have a good time." "I can't wait to go jolling tonight."

Koeksister (cook-sister): A very sweet South African dessert or snack which is a plaited dough that's been deep-fried until crispy on the outside and dipped into a syrup. Another variation (more commonly known as a koe'sister) is a spiced dough, deep-fried until crispy on the outside, before being dipped in a syrup and rolled in desiccated coconut.

Lekker (lack-er/leck-er): Meaning good, great or nice. Lekker has a positive connotation, expressing approval or satisfaction. "We had such a lekker time yesterday."

Moemish (moo-mish): A mistake, blunder or error. Often referring to a person. "That was such a moemish on his part." "Sally is a real moemish."

Né (n-eh): A term usually used at the end of a sentence, asking for clarification or agreement. Loosely translated, it's another way of asking "Isn't it?" or "right?" "She said she prefers tea over coffee, né?"

Oke/Ou (oak/oh): Slang for man or a guy, oke and ou are separate terms, but can be used interchangeably. "Who was that oke at your party?" "You and that ou look good together."

Padkos (put-kos): The term used to describe snacks for the road or food made specifically to eat while on a roadtrip. "No need to stop for snacks, I've packed some padkos for us."

Quantum (kwan-tim): A popular brand of vehicle manufactured by Toyota South Africa. It's minibus which is often used as a taxi or form of public transport in South Africa. "That Quantum taxi was driving recklessly."

Robot: Not your typical robot from the likes of Unitree. In South Africa, robots are that name given to traffic lights. "At the first robot, turn right and you'll find my home."

Sharp/sharp sharp (shup/shup shup): To express approval, a positive response, or said as a thank you. Can be gestured by giving a thumbs up. "Sharp sharp, see you later!" "I'm fine. Everything is sharp."

Tekkies (tack-ies). Trainers or sneakers. "Don't forget to pack tekkies for the hike."

Ubuntu (ooh-boon-to). Translated it means "I am because we are." The notion of ubuntu is a South Africa value of togetherness, empathy and humanity. "They supported one another in the spirit of ubuntu."

Vuvuzela (voo-voo-zeh-la): A plastic horn blown loudly at sporting events in South Africa, especially soccer. Blowing a vuvuzela lets off a sound similar to an elephant trumpeting. "The sound of vuvuzelas could be heard blaring from the stands."

Waai (va-yi): This has a double meaning. While waai is directly translated as the hand gesture to wave in Afrikaans, the slang for waai can also mean "go." "Let's waai or we'll be late.” 

X-sê/ek sê/exê: Directly translated from Afrikaans it means "I say." However, the term can also be used to reiterate or emphasize a point. It's commonly used by people in the city of Durban in Kwazulu-Natal province. "When are we going to eat, ek sê?"

Yebo (yeah-boh). Another way of saying yes or yeah. "Are you hungry? – Yebo!"

Zamalek (zum-a-lek) – A popular name given for Carling Black Label, a local South African beer.