- Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:46 pm
#240313
I came across this on google and figured it might be useful to start a South Africa translation thread, similar to the Europe Translation Thread in the European section of the forum. This could be a fun thread, feel free to add to or clarify any of these 
Note: In many words derived from Afrikaans, the letter "g" is pronounced in the same way as the "ch" in the Scottish "loch" or the German "achtung" - a kind of growl at the back of the throat. In the pronunciation guides below, the spelling for this sound is given as "gh".
Here is your quick guide to learning some local words...
ag (agh) - Generally used at the beginning of a sentence, to express resignation or irritation, as in: "Ag no man! What did you do that for?"
babbelas (bub-buh-luss) - A hangover
bakkie (buck-ee) - a pick-up truck
biltong (bill-tong) biltong (bill-tong) - This South African favourite is dried and salted meat, similar to beef jerky, although it can be made from ostrich, kudu or any other red meat
boerewors (boor-uh-vors) - Literally, farmer's sausage. A savoury sausage developed by the Boers - today's Afrikaners - some 200 years ago, boerewors is South African food at its most traditional
bru (brew) A term of affection, shortened from Afrikaans broer, meaning "brother". An example would be "Hey, my bru, howzit?"
café (kaf-ay, kaff-ee or kayff) The ubiquitous small neighbourhood convenience store, often found on street corners and stocking cigarettes, cold drinks and newspapers
china - To most people China is the country with the largest population in the world, but to a South African it can mean something entirely different. China means good friend, as in "This oke's my china". It's one of the few Cockney rhyming slang words to survive in the country, coming from "china plate" = "mate"
chommie - Friend, from the English chum
chow - Eat : "What do you guys want to chow?
cooldrink, colddrink - This is the common term for a soda, such as Coca-Cola. Ask for a soda in South Africa and you will receive a club soda
deurmekaar (dee-oor-muh-car) An Afrikaans for confused, disorganised or stupid, as in "He's a bit deurmekaar
dinges (ding-us) - A thing, thingamabob, whatzit, whatchamacallit or whatsizname: "When is dinges coming around?"
dop (dawp) - An alcoholic drink: "Can I pour you a dop?" It can also mean
droewors (droo-uh-vors) - Dried boerewors, similar to biltong
dumpie - A South African beer served in a brown 340ml bottle
Durbs - The city of Durban
eina (ay-nuh or ay-nar) - Ouch! Can also mean "sore".
eish (aysh) - Used to express surprise, wonder, frustration or outrage: "Eish! That cut was eina!"
frikkadel (frik-kuh-dell) - A traditional meatball
gatvol (ghut-foll) - Taken from Afrikaans, this means fed up, as in "Jislaaik, china, I'm gatvol of working in this hot sun." Translation: "Gee, my friend, I'm fed up with working in this hot sun."
graze - Eat
hey - The popular expression hey can be used as a standalone question meaning "pardon" or "what" - "Hey? What did you say?" Or it can be used to prompt affirmation or agreement, as in "It was a great film, hey?"
howzit - A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as "How are you?", "How are things?" or simply "Hello"
is it (as one word: izit) - An expression frequently used in conversation and equivalent to "Is that so?"
ja (yaa) - Yes
jislaaik (yis-like) - An expression of outrage or surprise: "Jislaaik, I just saw Elvis!"
jol (jawl) - A versatile word with many meanings, including party, disco, having fun, or just thing
Jozi (jo-zee) - The city of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, which is also known as Joburg or Joeys
just now - If a South African tells you they will do something "just now", they mean they'll do it in the near future - not immediately: "I'll do the dishes just now."
kif - Cool, neat, great or wonderful. From the Arabic kayf, meaning enjoyment or wellbeing
koeksister (kook-sister) - A traditional Malay - and now also Afrikaner - sweet, made from twisted yeast dough, deep fried and dipped in syrup. The right-wing enclave of Orania in the Northern Cape even has its own statue to the koeksister. The word comes from the Dutch koek ("cake") and sissen, meaning "to sizzle"
koppie (kor-pee) - A small hill
laduma! (la-doo-mah) - A popular cheer celebrating goals scored at soccer matches, from the isiZulu for it thunders
lappie (luppie) A cleaning cloth
lekker (lekk-irr with a rolling r) Nice, good, great, cool or tasty
mal (mull) - Mad, from the Afrikaans
mampara (mum-puh-rah) - An idiot, a silly person. From the Sotho languages
mampoer (mum-poo-er) - Extremely potent brandy made from peaches or other fruit, similar to the American moonshine
mealie (pronounce mih-lih) - Maize or corn. A mealie is a maize cob, and mealie meal is maize meal, the staple diet of South Africa, which is mostly cooked into pap. From the Afrikaans mielie
moegoe (moo-ghoo) - A fool, buffoon, idiot or simpleton
naartjie (nar-chee) - The South African word for tangerine
now-now - Shortly, in a bit: "I'll be there now-now."
oke, ou - A man, similar to guy or bloke. The word ou (oh) can be used interchangeably
pasop (pus-orp) - An Afrikaans word meaning "beware" or "watch out".
pavement - South Africans walk on pavements and drive cars on the road (at least that's the idea). The pavement is the sidewalk
rand - The South African currency, which is made up of 100 cents
robots - Traffic lights
rock up - To arrive somewhere unannounced or uninvited. It's the kind of thing friends do: "I was going to go out but then my china rocked up."
rubbish bin (alternatively dustbin or dirt bin) - Garbage can
sangoma (sun-go-mah) - Traditional healer or diviner
sarmie - Sandwich
scale, scaly - To scale something means to steal it. A scaly person is not to be trusted
shame - Broadly denotes sympathetic feeling. Someone admiring a baby, kitten or puppy might say: "Ag shame!" to emphasise its cuteness.
sharp - Often doubled up for effect as sharp-sharp!, this word is used as a greeting, a farewell, for agreement or just to express enthusiasm.
shebeen - A township tavern, illegal under the apartheid regime, often set up in a private house and frequented by black South Africans. The word is originally Gaelic
shongololo - Large brown millipede, from the isiZulu ukushonga, meaning "to roll up"
sjambok (sham-bok) - A stout leather whip made from animal hide
skelm (skellem) - A shifty or untrustworthy person; a criminal
skinner (skinner) - Gossip, from Afrikaans. A person who gossips is known as a skinnerbek: "Jislaaik, bru, I'm going to donner that skinnerbek for skinnering about me." Translation: "Gee, my friend, I'm going to hit that guy for gossiping about me."
skollie (skoh-li) - Gangster, criminal, from the Greek skolios, meaning crooked
skrik - Fright: "I caught a big skrik" means "I got a big fright"
skrik vir niks - Scared of nothing
slap chips (slup chips) - French fries, usually soft, oily and vinegar-drenched, bought in a brown paper bag. Slap is Afrikaans for "limp", which is how French fries are generally made here
smaak stukkend - Love to bits. In Afrikaans smaak means like, and stukkend means broken
smokes - Cigarettes
sosatie (soh-saa-tee) - A kebab on a stick
stoep (stup) - Porch or verandah
stompie - A cigarette butt. From the Afrikaans stomp, meaning "stump". The term picking up stompies means intruding into a conversation at its tail end, with little information about its content
stroppy Difficult, uncooperative, argumentative or stubborn
takkies - Running shoes or sneakers. Fat takkies are extra-wide tyres
tannie - (tunny) An Afrikaans word meaning "auntie", but also used for any older female of authority
taxi - Not a metered car with a single occupant, but a minibus used to transport a large number of people, and the most common way of getting around in South Africa
toppie - Old man
veld (felt) - Open grassland. From the Dutch for "field"
voetsek (foot-sak) - Go away, buzz off
vrot (frot) - Rotten or smelly
vuvuzela (voo-voo-zeh-lah) - A large, colourful plastic trumpet with the sound of a foghorn, blown enthusiastically by virtually everyone in the crowd at soccer matches. According to some, the word comes from the isiZulu for "making noise"
windgat (vint-ghut) - Show-off or blabbermouth. Taken from the Afrikaans, it literally means wind hole
Note: In many words derived from Afrikaans, the letter "g" is pronounced in the same way as the "ch" in the Scottish "loch" or the German "achtung" - a kind of growl at the back of the throat. In the pronunciation guides below, the spelling for this sound is given as "gh".
Here is your quick guide to learning some local words...
ag (agh) - Generally used at the beginning of a sentence, to express resignation or irritation, as in: "Ag no man! What did you do that for?"
babbelas (bub-buh-luss) - A hangover
bakkie (buck-ee) - a pick-up truck
biltong (bill-tong) biltong (bill-tong) - This South African favourite is dried and salted meat, similar to beef jerky, although it can be made from ostrich, kudu or any other red meat
boerewors (boor-uh-vors) - Literally, farmer's sausage. A savoury sausage developed by the Boers - today's Afrikaners - some 200 years ago, boerewors is South African food at its most traditional
bru (brew) A term of affection, shortened from Afrikaans broer, meaning "brother". An example would be "Hey, my bru, howzit?"
café (kaf-ay, kaff-ee or kayff) The ubiquitous small neighbourhood convenience store, often found on street corners and stocking cigarettes, cold drinks and newspapers
china - To most people China is the country with the largest population in the world, but to a South African it can mean something entirely different. China means good friend, as in "This oke's my china". It's one of the few Cockney rhyming slang words to survive in the country, coming from "china plate" = "mate"
chommie - Friend, from the English chum
chow - Eat : "What do you guys want to chow?
cooldrink, colddrink - This is the common term for a soda, such as Coca-Cola. Ask for a soda in South Africa and you will receive a club soda
deurmekaar (dee-oor-muh-car) An Afrikaans for confused, disorganised or stupid, as in "He's a bit deurmekaar
dinges (ding-us) - A thing, thingamabob, whatzit, whatchamacallit or whatsizname: "When is dinges coming around?"
dop (dawp) - An alcoholic drink: "Can I pour you a dop?" It can also mean
droewors (droo-uh-vors) - Dried boerewors, similar to biltong
dumpie - A South African beer served in a brown 340ml bottle
Durbs - The city of Durban
eina (ay-nuh or ay-nar) - Ouch! Can also mean "sore".
eish (aysh) - Used to express surprise, wonder, frustration or outrage: "Eish! That cut was eina!"
frikkadel (frik-kuh-dell) - A traditional meatball
gatvol (ghut-foll) - Taken from Afrikaans, this means fed up, as in "Jislaaik, china, I'm gatvol of working in this hot sun." Translation: "Gee, my friend, I'm fed up with working in this hot sun."
graze - Eat
hey - The popular expression hey can be used as a standalone question meaning "pardon" or "what" - "Hey? What did you say?" Or it can be used to prompt affirmation or agreement, as in "It was a great film, hey?"
howzit - A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as "How are you?", "How are things?" or simply "Hello"
is it (as one word: izit) - An expression frequently used in conversation and equivalent to "Is that so?"
ja (yaa) - Yes
jislaaik (yis-like) - An expression of outrage or surprise: "Jislaaik, I just saw Elvis!"
jol (jawl) - A versatile word with many meanings, including party, disco, having fun, or just thing
Jozi (jo-zee) - The city of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, which is also known as Joburg or Joeys
just now - If a South African tells you they will do something "just now", they mean they'll do it in the near future - not immediately: "I'll do the dishes just now."
kif - Cool, neat, great or wonderful. From the Arabic kayf, meaning enjoyment or wellbeing
koeksister (kook-sister) - A traditional Malay - and now also Afrikaner - sweet, made from twisted yeast dough, deep fried and dipped in syrup. The right-wing enclave of Orania in the Northern Cape even has its own statue to the koeksister. The word comes from the Dutch koek ("cake") and sissen, meaning "to sizzle"
koppie (kor-pee) - A small hill
laduma! (la-doo-mah) - A popular cheer celebrating goals scored at soccer matches, from the isiZulu for it thunders
lappie (luppie) A cleaning cloth
lekker (lekk-irr with a rolling r) Nice, good, great, cool or tasty
mal (mull) - Mad, from the Afrikaans
mampara (mum-puh-rah) - An idiot, a silly person. From the Sotho languages
mampoer (mum-poo-er) - Extremely potent brandy made from peaches or other fruit, similar to the American moonshine
mealie (pronounce mih-lih) - Maize or corn. A mealie is a maize cob, and mealie meal is maize meal, the staple diet of South Africa, which is mostly cooked into pap. From the Afrikaans mielie
moegoe (moo-ghoo) - A fool, buffoon, idiot or simpleton
naartjie (nar-chee) - The South African word for tangerine
now-now - Shortly, in a bit: "I'll be there now-now."
oke, ou - A man, similar to guy or bloke. The word ou (oh) can be used interchangeably
pasop (pus-orp) - An Afrikaans word meaning "beware" or "watch out".
pavement - South Africans walk on pavements and drive cars on the road (at least that's the idea). The pavement is the sidewalk
rand - The South African currency, which is made up of 100 cents
robots - Traffic lights
rock up - To arrive somewhere unannounced or uninvited. It's the kind of thing friends do: "I was going to go out but then my china rocked up."
rubbish bin (alternatively dustbin or dirt bin) - Garbage can
sangoma (sun-go-mah) - Traditional healer or diviner
sarmie - Sandwich
scale, scaly - To scale something means to steal it. A scaly person is not to be trusted
shame - Broadly denotes sympathetic feeling. Someone admiring a baby, kitten or puppy might say: "Ag shame!" to emphasise its cuteness.
sharp - Often doubled up for effect as sharp-sharp!, this word is used as a greeting, a farewell, for agreement or just to express enthusiasm.
shebeen - A township tavern, illegal under the apartheid regime, often set up in a private house and frequented by black South Africans. The word is originally Gaelic
shongololo - Large brown millipede, from the isiZulu ukushonga, meaning "to roll up"
sjambok (sham-bok) - A stout leather whip made from animal hide
skelm (skellem) - A shifty or untrustworthy person; a criminal
skinner (skinner) - Gossip, from Afrikaans. A person who gossips is known as a skinnerbek: "Jislaaik, bru, I'm going to donner that skinnerbek for skinnering about me." Translation: "Gee, my friend, I'm going to hit that guy for gossiping about me."
skollie (skoh-li) - Gangster, criminal, from the Greek skolios, meaning crooked
skrik - Fright: "I caught a big skrik" means "I got a big fright"
skrik vir niks - Scared of nothing
slap chips (slup chips) - French fries, usually soft, oily and vinegar-drenched, bought in a brown paper bag. Slap is Afrikaans for "limp", which is how French fries are generally made here
smaak stukkend - Love to bits. In Afrikaans smaak means like, and stukkend means broken
smokes - Cigarettes
sosatie (soh-saa-tee) - A kebab on a stick
stoep (stup) - Porch or verandah
stompie - A cigarette butt. From the Afrikaans stomp, meaning "stump". The term picking up stompies means intruding into a conversation at its tail end, with little information about its content
stroppy Difficult, uncooperative, argumentative or stubborn
takkies - Running shoes or sneakers. Fat takkies are extra-wide tyres
tannie - (tunny) An Afrikaans word meaning "auntie", but also used for any older female of authority
taxi - Not a metered car with a single occupant, but a minibus used to transport a large number of people, and the most common way of getting around in South Africa
toppie - Old man
veld (felt) - Open grassland. From the Dutch for "field"
voetsek (foot-sak) - Go away, buzz off
vrot (frot) - Rotten or smelly
vuvuzela (voo-voo-zeh-lah) - A large, colourful plastic trumpet with the sound of a foghorn, blown enthusiastically by virtually everyone in the crowd at soccer matches. According to some, the word comes from the isiZulu for "making noise"
windgat (vint-ghut) - Show-off or blabbermouth. Taken from the Afrikaans, it literally means wind hole
Do Not PM me your technical questions. Post them in the forum!
My 1992 SOHC Turbo Hatch
My Youtube Channel: 6th Gear Garage
My 1992 SOHC Turbo Hatch
My Youtube Channel: 6th Gear Garage
very informative
![[smilie=brushteeth.gif]](./images/smilies/brushteeth.gif "brushteeth")