Discover Contemporary Shona Slang
A community-driven dictionary of Zimbabwean street lingo and ghetto speak
All Words(371 words)
Mate / Bro / My friend. A friendly way to address a male peer, similar to “bro” or “mate.”
Etiquette notes
Age & respect: Usually used with someone your own age or younger. Dropping “wangu” to an elder can sound cheeky or disrespectful.
Gender: Most often aimed at men; calling a woman “wangu” is uncommon unless you know each other well and she’s cool with it.
"X: Wangu, phone yako bho here? Y: Ah, bho zvekuti, inongoda charger nyowani."
"X: My guy, is your phone good? Y: Ah, very good, it just needs a new charger."
How is it going? / How are you? / How are things? / How's life? / What's up?
"Zvakamirasei wangu?"
"How's it going my friend?"
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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.