Discover Contemporary Shona Slang

(RIZ-poh) - noun, law-enforcement slang. Clever wordplay: porisi (police) spelled backwards → rizpo. Same meaning, lower profile. Register & nuance: street-smart, cautionary. Usually dropped as a warning rather than a label, think "eyes open."

Close cousins: ngonjo, Babylon, port/pot, bhoma. Opposite energy: safe, bho

(fa-DAH-yah) - noun/verb, vibes slang. Register & nuance: Urban, playful, aspirational. Can be celebratory ("we're fadaya tonight") or slightly salty when said from the sidelines ("they're fadaya while we hustle").

Origins (folk etymology): likely evolved from fara ("to enjoy"), with fadaya acting as an intensified, leveled-up version, more than enjoying, it's enjoying loudly.

(moo-sah-tee-FEHN-deh-reh) - imperative phrase, polite-but-firm shutdown. Literal root = “Stop fainting.” “Quit that foolishness right now.” Used when someone’s logic is doing cartwheels and you need them back on earth, often paired with “miswa iwe!” for double emphasis. Tone = half-reprimand, half-eye-roll: you’re not furious yet, but the nonsense quota is full. Synonyms: stop messing around, cut the crap, don’t be silly, behave yourself.

(zveh-ee-PAH-poh) — adverb / time-stamp slang. Straight-away, instant, same-time, zero-buffer. No delay, no committee meeting - act immediately.

(beh-TWEH-tweh) — adjective / personality tag Meaning Clumsy, scatter-brained, over-eager; the type who drops the phone while answering it and apologises to the phone. Signature moves: hitting Reply-All on a company-wide email to say “Thanks.”

(TSOH-mah) — verb, nag-attack slang Meaning To pester, bother, nag endlessly,pecking at someone until they either give in or fake a network blackout. Vibe:Relentless WhatsApp pings, five missed calls, “Have you done it yet?” every ten minutes. Synonyms: bug, hassle, hound, “pressurise.”

(GOSS-toh) — noun, hang-out slang Meaning: a laid-back chill spot where the crew can kick back, snack, sip, and talk endless nonsense without anyone policing the volume. Atmosphere: plastic chairs, Bluetooth speaker on 7 %, braai smoke drifting, someone whipping out a deck of cards just as the sun sets.

(lahm-LAHM) — noun / verb, after-hours slang. Meaning: straight-up sex, the horizontal hustle, the two-person firmware update. Tone: playful, slightly cheeky; used when you don’t want to drop the clinical “sex” or the explicit four-letter alternatives. Synonyms: “bhaudha,” “kupaita,” “raw sauce,” “kunanganisa,” “checking oil (advanced version).”

To place a phone call, to ring someone. Typical vibe: unexpected ringtone that pops up at the most inconvenient moment, ex’s telepathy, boss’s weekend “quick check,” or mom’s “where are you?” radar.