If you’re planning a trip to South Africa check out these 20 need-to-know South Africanisms for Safari. We hope you have a lekker time on safari just now! Here we share this wonderful blog written by Amy Attenborough from Londolozi.
Gees: A slang term referring to the amount of spirit, exuberance and energy somebody has or brings to a situation.
Shangaan Animals: lion (ngala), hippo (mvubu), leopard (yingwe), snake (nyoka), elephant (ndlovu), rhino (mkhombe), buffalo (nyari), hyena (misi).
Now, Now Now and Just Now: There are three rather confusing versions of now in South Africa, which all keep timing incredibly vague (what we like to call “African time”). Now actually means now. Now Now means sometime soon, like within the next 30 to 60 minutes, maybe. Just now means sometime in the nearish future, roughly within the next 1 – 3 hours but also possibly not.
Ag shame: Shame is a South Africanism for pity or sympathy, but it can also be used to indicate cuteness and is usually pronounced with a long drawn out “Shaaaame”. E.g. Ag shame, did you hurt yourself? Or Ag shame, did you see that sweet little leopard cub?
Howzit: Greeting, often used instead of hello. Combines hello and how are you so it saves time.
Braai – brr-rye (roll that r): The South African version of a barbecue. It usually involves a large amount of meat such as boerewors (directly translated as farmer’s sausage), lamb chops, steak, mealies (corn on the cob) and possibly a sprinkling of salad if you’re lucky.
Boma: A circular enclosure, originally used to keep domestic animals safe at night from nocturnal predators. Now used as a meeting place where people gather around a fire to eat meals.
Sharp: Pronounced ‘Shup’- Usually used in conjunction with a thumbs up to indicate that it’s all good!
Biltong: Spiced, cured and dehydrated meat, similar to (but much tastier than) beef jerky. It’s usually made from beef, game or ostrich. A favourite game drive snack and essential for any rugby match or road trip.
Eish – aysh!! General exclamation that can be used in positive and negative contexts.
Stoep: A veranda in front of a house.
Hectic: Extremely, expression of amazement. E.g. Watching those lions chase that buffalo was hectic!
Ubuntu: Southern African humanist philosophy that holds as its central tenet that a person is only a person through others. I am because of you.
Rusk: A traditional Afrikaner breakfast meal or snack. They have been dried in South Africa since the late 1690s as a way of preserving bread, especially when travelling long distances without refrigeration. Their use continued through the Great Trek and the Boer Wars through to the modern day. Rusks are typically dunked in coffee or tea to soften them before being eaten. And if you really want to know about the South African obsession with these hard biscuits, I suggest you google “Ouma Rusks”.
Slip Slops and Takkies – Slip Slops mostly called “slops” are our equivalent to what New Zealanders call jandals or flip flops. Tack-keys: Sneakers or sports shoes.
Koppie: A small hill.
Ya No: A confusing exclamation which actually means yes.
Yo – yoh!: Exclamation of surprise. E.g. Yo, that elephant is huge!
Boet: Brother, usually used in reference to friends, or any male companion. E.g. Hey boet, did you find the lions you were tracking?
Lekker Afrikaans for nice, pleasant, fun, lovely, good, pretty. It is used by all language groups however to express approval. You can feel lekker. You can have a lekker boerie on the braai. Holidays are lekker. It’s lekker when the Springboks occasionally win a match. And of course, you can have a lekker time on safari.
