Discover Contemporary Shona Slang
A community-driven dictionary of Zimbabwean street lingo and ghetto speak
All Words(371 words)
Take a bath / Take a shower
"Ndichambonorova bhavhu ndisati ndasvika padikinya raWinky D"
"I'm going to grab a shower before heading to Winky D's show"
The rural area; countryside where life slows and cows have right-of-way.
The rural area / kumusha / kumachonyonyo - any spot where Wi-Fi fears to tread and roosters do the morning alarm. Travel tip: When you tell the squad “ndiri kumapfanya” expect zero missed-call guilt, everyone knows network there takes weekends off too.
"Last weekend ndakaenda ku mapfanya - network zero bars but vibes 100 %."
"I hit the rural area last weekend - no signal, full vibes."
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About Zimbabwean street lingo
Shona slang, also called street lingo, ghetto speak or ghetto talk, is the everyday language of Zimbabwe's townships. Ghetto youths in Harare, Chitungwiza and beyond keep inventing new words, mixing Shona with English, flipping words backwards and coining code words for things best not said out loud. Much of it spreads through Zimdancehall lyrics, kombi rides and WhatsApp groups long before it reaches any textbook.
shonaslang collects these words with their meanings, usage examples and pronunciations, written by the people who use them. Browse words A-Z, read the blog or add a word you know.