Jan 18 • General discussion
100 Jamaican Patois (Patwa) words and phrases with their English translations
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Common Jamaican Patois Words & Meanings
1. Wah gwaan – What’s going on / Hello
2. Mi deh yah – I’m here / I’m good
3. Irie – Feeling good / Everything is fine
4. Likkle – Small / Little
5. Pickney – Child
6. Bredda – Brother / Friend
7. Sistren – Sister / Female friend
8. Yute – Youth / Young person
9. Gyalis – Womanizer
10. Rude bwoy – Tough guy / Rebel
11. Bun – Burn
12. Bun dem – Forget them / Dismiss them
13. Mash up – Destroy / Broken
14. Tek time – Take it easy / Be patient
15. Soon come – I’ll be back later
16. No badda mi – Don’t bother me
17. Big up – Praise / Respect
18. Nuh problem – No problem
19. Mi luv yuh – I love you
20. Gwaan easy – Take care
Food & Daily Life
21. Nyam – Eat
22. Ital – Natural / Vegetarian food
23. Belly full – Satisfied after eating
24. Run dung – Chase
25. Ole time sinting – Old-fashioned thing
26. Chaka-chaka – Messy / Disorganized
27. Bruck out – Dance wildly
28. Skylark – Joke / Fool around
29. Tabanca – Lovesick
30. Wutless – Worthless / Lazy
Emotions & Descriptions
31. Vex – Angry
32. Sweet – Good / Nice
33. Bad – Very good / Excellent
34. Criss – Angry / Upset
35. Fyah bun – Strong disapproval
36. Hype – Overexcited
37. Soft – Kind / Gentle
38. Hard ears – Stubborn
39. Bright – Intelligent
40. Dunce – Not smart
Actions & Expressions
41. Tek weh – Remove / Take away
42. Gimme likkle – Give me a little
43. Haffi – Have to / Must
44. Mek wi – Let us
45. Come yah – Come here
46. Guh deh – Go there
47. Ketch – Catch
48. Tun up – Increase / Turn up
49. Dash weh – Throw away
50. Hol’ strain – Hold tight
People & Behavior
51. Obeah – Spiritual practice / Folk magic
52. Duupy – Ghost / Spirit
53. Pum pum – Female genitalia (slang)
54. Bombo – Male genitalia (slang)
55. Raas – Exclamation (strong emphasis)
56. Boasy – Showy / Arrogant
57. Chat too much – Talks excessively
58. Stush – Snobbish / Proud
59. Nuh trust dem – Don’t trust them
60. Frenemy – Fake friend
Nature, Time & Culture
61. Sun tun hot – The sun is very hot
62. Rain a fall – It’s raining
63. Day clean – Beautiful day
64. Night come dung – Night has fallen
65. Country – Rural area
66. Town – City
67. Yard – Home
68. Backra – Boss / Authority figure
69. Babylon – Oppressive system / Police
70. Zion – Freedom / Africa / Promised land
Money, Work & Survival
71. Link up – Meet up
72. Work off – Finish working
73. Broke – No money
74. Rich up – Wealthy
75. Hustle – Work hard / Side jobs
76. Tek advantage – Exploit
77. Pay day – Salary day
78. Short a change – Not enough money
79. Borrow – Borrow
80. Lend – Lend
Popular Sayings & Slang
81. Every mikkle mek a mukkle – Every little counts
82. One one coco full basket – Slowly but surely
83. Trouble nuh set like rain – Problems don’t last forever
84. If yuh tink yuh know, yuh nuh know – You still have more to learn
85. Wa mek di breeze blow? – Why did that happen?
86. Cow neva know di use a him tail till him lose it – You don’t value things until they’re gone
87. Mi tired fi hear dat – I’m tired of hearing that
88. Tek sleep mark death – Rest well / Sleep safely
89. Live good – Live well
90. Jah know – God knows / Indeed
Modern & Social Expressions
91. Bless up – Stay blessed
92. Real ting – True / Authentic
93. Loyal – Trustworthy
94. Fake – Insincere
95. Energy – Vibe / Presence
96. Good vibes – Positive energy
97. Negative vibes – Bad energy
98. Safe travels – Travel safely
99. Respect – Appreciation / Honor
100. Seen – I understand / Acknowledged
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100 Jamaican Patois (Patwa) words and phrases with their English translations
