Nigerian Slang Guide: 100 Essential Terms for Speaking Like a Naija Native

Nigeria is home to over 500 languages, countless ethnic groups, and a diverse tapestry of cultures. But one thing that unites many Nigerians—whether in the bustling streets of Lagos, the alleys of Ibadan, or the markets of Kano—is slang. Known locally as “Naija” expressions or Nigerian Pidgin phrases, these words capture the humor, identity, and spontaneity of everyday life.

Whether you’re a curious traveler, a Nigerian in the diaspora, or just a fan of Nollywood movies, getting a handle on Naija slang can help you blend in, crack inside jokes, and enjoy local media on a whole new level.

Below, we’ve compiled 100 essential Nigerian slang terms—the ultimate guide to “speaking like a Naija native.” Let’s get started!

Why Learn Nigerian Slang?

Connection to Culture

Slang reveals the spirit and rhythm of local communication. Using “Wetin dey?” instead of “How are you?” can immediately bridge gaps and create a sense of warmth.

Media & Entertainment

Nigerian music, YouTube shows, and Nollywood films are filled with slang phrases. Understanding these expressions adds a layer of enjoyment and insight you can’t get from subtitles alone.

Fun & Memorable

Slang is playful, dynamic, and easy to remember. It’s a shortcut to stepping into the world of Naija humor, sarcasm, and everyday banter.

Fun Fact: A 2020 BBC Pidgin poll found that over 65% of young Nigerians use some form of local slang in their daily interactions—especially on social media!

Quick Tips for Using Naija Slang

1. Watch Your Audience: Some slang is playful but might be too casual or even offensive among elders or in formal settings.
2. Keep It Simple: Start with a handful of words to avoid sounding forced.
3. Combine with Politeness: Nigerians appreciate courtesy—sprinkling slang in with your “please” and “thank you” goes a long way.
4. Observe & Listen: The best teacher is hearing how locals use slang in real-time. TV shows, local music, and everyday chats are goldmines.

Greetings & Everyday Expressions (1–10)

1. Naija
   • Meaning: “Nigeria,” used by Nigerians to refer to their country.
   • Usage: “Welcome to Naija, my friend!”
2. Wetin dey?
   • Meaning: “What’s up?” / “What’s going on?”
   • Usage: “Guy, wetin dey for your side?”
3. How far?
   • Meaning: Another common “What’s up?” or “How are things?”
   • Usage: “Long time no see—how far, my guy?”
4. I dey kampe
   • Meaning: “I’m good,” or “I’m holding up well.”
   • Usage: “No worry about me, I dey kampe.”
5. No wahala
   • Meaning: “No problem,” from “wahala” meaning “trouble.”
   • Usage: “You can borrow my phone charger, no wahala.”
6. Wetin be dis?
   • Meaning: “What is this?” used when annoyed or confused.
   • Usage: “Wetin be dis? Why you take my food?”
7. Abeg
   • Meaning: “Please,” used to make polite or urgent requests.
   • Usage: “Abeg, help me open the door.”
8. Na so?
   • Meaning: “Is that so?” / “Really?” or “That’s how it is?”
   • Usage: “He say he go pay? Na so?”
9. Ehen
   • Meaning: “I see,” or “Oh yeah, that’s right,” exclamation of realization.
   • Usage: “Ehen, so that’s the gist?”
10. Oya
    • Meaning: “Come on,” “Let’s go,” or “Hurry up.”
    • Usage: “Oya, stand up, let’s move!”

People & Friendship (11–20)

11. Guy / Babe
    • Meaning: “Dude” or “Girl,” used among friends.
    • Usage: “Guy, you hear that new jam?” or “Babe, let’s go get suya.”
12. My person
    • Meaning: “My close friend,” “my homie.”
    • Usage: “Na my person, we go way back.”
13. Palava
    • Meaning: “Trouble,” referencing a problem or conflict.
    • Usage: “No start palava with that security guard.”
14. Sharp guy
    • Meaning: “Smart/cunning guy,” someone who’s streetwise.
    • Usage: “That man is a sharp guy, he always gets the best deals.”
15. Mama / Papa
    • Meaning: Sometimes used to address older women/men or friends affectionately.
    • Usage: “Papa, how that business going?”
16. Omo
    • Meaning: Yoruba for “child,” used as “Dude!” or “Man!”
    • Usage: “Omo, that party was lit!”
17. Egbon
    • Meaning: Yoruba for “elder sibling,” used to show respect to slightly older friend.
    • Usage: “Egbon, abeg, help me with that gist.”
18. Alfa
    • Meaning: “How’s it going,” shortened from “Alpha,” used mainly in Yoruba circles.
    • Usage: “Alfa, you don chop?” (“Hey, how are you, have you eaten?”)
19. Zaddy
    • Meaning: Borrowed from global usage, “an attractive man,” but also used ironically.
    • Usage: “That guy with the nice car is the real zaddy around here.”
20. Runs
    • Meaning: “Hustle” or “side job,” can also reference shady dealings.
    • Usage: “He’s doing some runs to pay the bills.”

Expressing Emotions & Reactions (21–30)

21. Chineke me (Igbo)

• Meaning: “My God,” exclamation of surprise or shock.
• Usage: “Chineke me! This is amazing.”

22. Kai!

• Meaning: “Oh my!” or “Gosh!” used in various contexts of surprise or dismay.
• Usage: “Kai, see how expensive that phone is.”

23. Nawa o

• Meaning: Expresses disbelief or exasperation, like “Wow” or “This is something else.”
• Usage: “Nawa o, traffic is crazy today.”

24. Ehen

• Meaning: “Yes,” or “That’s right,” can also mean “Now I see.”
• Usage: “Ehen, so that’s how you do it?”

25. Abismo

• Meaning: “I’m in trouble,” comedic usage among youth.
• Usage: “Abismo oh, I forgot my wallet at home.”

26. Over-groove

• Meaning: “Too much enjoyment,” from English.
• Usage: “The party was over-groove last night, no one wanted to leave.”

27. E shock you?

• Meaning: “Are you surprised?” from social media catchphrase.
• Usage: “He’s your brother? E shock you? It’s true!”

28. See gobe

• Meaning: “Look at trouble,” from Yoruba, used widely for “Look at the mess.”
• Usage: “He smashed the phone? See gobe oh.”

29. Swear down

• Meaning: “Honestly,” from English slang, used for emphasis.
• Usage: “Swear down, I didn’t see your message, man.”

30. Walahi

• Meaning: “By God,” from Arabic “Wallahi,” used to express sincerity.
• Usage: “Walahi, I won’t do that again.”

Food & Dining Slang (31–40)

31. Chop

• Meaning: “Eat,” from Pidgin.
• Usage: “Let’s go chop some jollof rice.”

32. Jollof

• Meaning: Iconic West African rice dish, but used as a casual reference for “meal.”
• Usage: “Are we going for jollof or pounded yam this afternoon?”

33. Gbe body e

• Meaning: Yoruba phrase, “carry your body,” might mean “move it” or “dance.”
• Usage: “At the party, we’ll gbe body e all night!”

34. Menuf

• Meaning: “Plenty of food,” comedic abbreviation from “menu.” (Less standard, but recognized by some youth)
• Usage: “Birthday party had menuf, I ate well.”

35. Waka go bukka

• Meaning: “Walk to a local eatery,” from “bukka” meaning a local restaurant.
• Usage: “I’m hungry, let’s waka go bukka.”

36. Shayo

• Meaning: “Alcohol,” “booze.”
• Usage: “We’ll grab some shayo for the house party.”

37. Imbibe

• Meaning: “Drink alcohol,” borrowed from formal English, used ironically
• Usage: “That man can imbibe oh, see how he finishes the bottle.”

38. Kpomo

• Meaning: “Cow skin,” used as a snack or stew item, also slang for “basic piece of meat.”
• Usage: “I love this soup with kpomo, it’s so tasty.”

39. Chai

• Meaning: “Tea,” also exclamation “Oh my!”
• Usage: “Chai, this tea is hot. / Or “Chai, that’s expensive.”

40. Confa

• Meaning: “Confectionaries,” lumps pastry or sweet items together, comedic short form
• Usage: “We can get small confa for dessert.”

Internet & Tech Slang (41–50)

41. Sef

• Meaning: “Even,” or “too,” from old Pidgin usage.
• Usage: “I no see your text sef, what happened?”

42. Na DM

• Meaning: “Send it to me in DM,” from social media usage.
• Usage: “That gist, abeg na DM me the details.”

43. Na status

• Meaning: “Post on WhatsApp status,” from phone lingo.
• Usage: “Check na status for the photo I posted.”

44. Trek

• Meaning: “Walk,” from “trek,” used ironically when there’s no ride.
• Usage: “No money for taxi, I’ll just trek small.”

45. Waya

• Meaning: “Call me,” from “wire me,” can also mean “send me money.”
• Usage: “If urgent, waya me, or I might not see it.”

46. Load

• Meaning: “Phone credit,” from “to load airtime.”
• Usage: “I need to buy load, my credit finished.”

47. Data go finish

• Meaning: “Your data will run out,” referencing heavy internet use.
• Usage: “Stop watching so many videos—data go finish oh!”

48. Kaput

• Meaning: “Broken,” “dead,” from English/German.
• Usage: “My phone is kaput, I can’t respond to messages.”

49. Ping

• Meaning: From old Blackberry era, means “call or text me.”
• Usage: “Ping me when you reach home, abeg.”

50. Screen munch

• Meaning: “Screenshot,” from old Blackberry slang.
• Usage: “Did you screen munch that chat for evidence?”

Love & Dating Slang (51–60)

51. Boo

• Meaning: “Boyfriend/girlfriend,” from English slang.
• Usage: “Where’s your boo? He didn’t come?”

52. Bae

• Meaning: Another from English “baby/before anyone else.”
• Usage: “Me and bae are going out for dinner.”

53. JJC (Johnny Just Come)

• Meaning: “Naive or newbie,” can apply to relationships if someone is new to the game.
• Usage: “Don’t be a JJC, that’s not how you ask a girl out!”

54. Sugar

• Meaning: “Sugar daddy / mommy,” referencing sponsor or older partner.
• Usage: “She’s rolling with a sugar now, big money man.”

55. Sparks

• Meaning: “Attraction,” if two people “got sparks.”
• Usage: “We had sparks from the first conversation.”

56. Couple goals

• Meaning: “The ideal relationship,” from social media usage.
• Usage: “Those two are couple goals, always supportive.”

57. Gbensh

• Meaning: “To hook up,” “to have sex,” from street lingo.
• Usage: “He bragging he wants to gbensh every weekend, nonsense.”

58. Parche

• Meaning: “Partner,” from “partner,” used in a less formal sense.
• Usage: “She calls him her parche, kinda cute.”

59. Toaster

• Meaning: “A guy who’s wooing/flirting with a girl.”
• Usage: “Don’t mind that toaster, he’s not serious.”

60. Green light

• Meaning: “Positive sign,” from English usage, meaning encouraging romantic signals.
• Usage: “She gave me green light, so I asked her out.”

Family & Daily Life (61–70)

61. Mama put

• Meaning: A local roadside eatery, referencing a “mom cooking” setup.
• Usage: “I’ll chop lunch at Mama put, it’s cheap and good.”

62. Small pikin

• Meaning: “Little kid,” from Pidgin.
• Usage: “He’s just a small pikin, can’t handle big chores.”

63. Fada / Moda

• Meaning: “Father,” “Mother,” spelled phonetically from “father”/“mother.”
• Usage: “Na my moda’s birthday tomorrow oh.”

64. Yeye

• Meaning: “Useless,” “worthless,” “nonsense.”
• Usage: “That yeye argument is going nowhere.”

65. Mumcy

• Meaning: Variation of “Mom,” from “mummy.”
• Usage: “Mumcy always scolds me about cleaning.”

66. Popcy

• Meaning: Variation of “Dad,” from “popsy.”
• Usage: “Popcy gave me some change for the weekend.”

67. Run errands

• Meaning: “Go do tasks,” from English.
• Usage: “Let me quickly run errands for Mums before chilling.”

68. House gist

• Meaning: “Domestic gossip,” referencing family or home updates.
• Usage: “Got any house gist about that wedding?”

69. Big man

• Meaning: “Wealthy or influential man,” from respect or sarcasm.
• Usage: “He’s living large, big man with big plans.”

70. Your face show, your shoe shine

• Meaning: “You’re looking good,” from local comedic phrase.
• Usage: “Wow, your face show, your shoe shine, all set to go out!”

Negative Feelings & Frustrations (71–80)

71. Na dem

• Meaning: “It’s them,” used to shift blame or say “typical of them.”
• Usage: “Money no come yet? Na dem. Always messing up.”

72. Gbese

• Meaning: “Trouble,” Yoruba for “debt,” but used for tight situations.
• Usage: “If we get caught, that’s gbese oh.”

73. Yawa

• Meaning: “Problem,” from Pidgin usage.
• Usage: “Don’t get into yawa with the police, be careful.”

74. Taya

• Meaning: “Tired,” from “tire.”
• Usage: “I done taya for this nonsense job.”

75. E go red

• Meaning: “It will get serious or bloody,” from tense conflict.
• Usage: “If he fights me, e go red for him oh.”

76. Over-sabi

• Meaning: “Know-it-all,” referencing a person who brags.
• Usage: “He’s so over-sabi, can’t keep quiet.”

77. Comot

• Meaning: “Go away,” “leave,” from Pidgin.
• Usage: “Comot for road, I need to pass.”

78. Na crack

• Meaning: “That’s insane,” or “You must be crazy,” used lightly among friends.
• Usage: “You want me to pay your bill? Na crack, my friend?”

79. Shun

• Meaning: “Ignore,” “snub,” from English “shun.”
• Usage: “He just shun me after all I did? Rubbish.”

80. Ofune

• Meaning: Rare usage for “hot-tempered” or “heated,” Igbo-based slang.
• Usage: “He’s ofune, watch how you speak to him.”

Pop Culture & Trends (81–90)

81. Zanku

• Meaning: A popular dance style from Nigeria, referencing trendy moves.
• Usage: “We were jamming to the new song, everyone doing Zanku.”

82. Detty December

• Meaning: “Dirty December,” referencing partying a lot in December.
• Usage: “Planning a Detty December in Lagos, can’t wait!”

83. No dull

• Meaning: “Don’t slack,” “stay sharp.”
• Usage: “We enter that contest? No dull, we must be ready.”

84. Link up

• Meaning: “Meet,” from English.
• Usage: “We’ll link up at the mall, around 5 PM.”

85. Skrr skrr

• Meaning: Expression from rap culture, indicating fast car or hype.
• Usage: “He came skrr skrr in that new ride, so fresh.”

86. Parry

• Meaning: “Party,” from Pidgin’s twist.
• Usage: “Weekend parry is on, you coming?”

87. Blow

• Meaning: “Go viral,” “become famous,” from music scene.
• Usage: “He’s hoping to blow with that new track.”

88. Carri go

• Meaning: “Carry on,” or “move forward,” from Pidgin.
• Usage: “We no get time for drama, just carri go.”

89. Na real

• Meaning: “This is real,” used for emphasis or surprise.
• Usage: “You won the lotto? Na real oh!”

90. No be lie

• Meaning: “I’m not lying,” or “That’s the truth.”
• Usage: “That food sweet die, no be lie.”

Additional 10 Slang Gems (91–100)

91. Scatter
    • Meaning: “To rock,” “to hype,” or “to cause chaos.”
    • Usage: “DJ scatter the dancefloor with that beat!”
92. Tori
    • Meaning: “Story,” from Pidgin for “news or gist.”
    • Usage: “Bring the tori, what’s the new gist?”
93. Na me
    • Meaning: “It’s me,” used jokingly or for claiming credit.
    • Usage: “Who arranged this big surprise? Na me, oh.”
94. Dey form
    • Meaning: “Pretend,” from Pidgin “to act like.”
    • Usage: “He dey form posh, but we know the real him.”
95. Gbam
    • Meaning: “Exactly!” or exclamation for something sealed.
    • Usage: “You said it right, gbam!”
96. Maga
    • Meaning: “Fool,” or someone easily scammed.
    • Usage: “Don’t be a maga, watch your pockets.”
97. Eye service
    • Meaning: “Pretending to work only when watched,” from English
    • Usage: “He’s doing eye service for the boss—once boss leaves, he chills.”
98. Ini
    • Meaning: “Energy,” “vibe,” from rare youth usage in certain Naija circles.
    • Usage: “The ini in that club last night was mad.”
99. Inting
    • Meaning: “In thing,” a new or trending item.
    • Usage: “This fashion is the inting now, better get it.”
100. Walahi tallahi

• Meaning: Emphasized “I swear by God,” from northern influences.
• Usage: “Walahi tallahi, I didn’t take your phone, believe me.”

Conclusion: Elevate Your Naija Street Cred

Oriya oh! You’ve just explored 100 essential Nigerian slang terms that capture the pulse of Naija—from the daily hustle in Lagos to weekend vibes in Abuja. Mastering these phrases not only enriches your language skills but also gives you a front-row seat to the spirited and ever-adapting world of Nigerian culture.

Final Tips:

• Use Sparingly: Don’t pepper every sentence with slang—pick the right moment for maximum impact.
• Learn by Listening: Watch local YouTubers, Nollywood movies, or Nigerian comedies for real-time usage.
• Stay Flexible: Slang evolves. If your buddy says “That’s old slang oh,” just laugh and ask for the new one.

Call to Action

Have a favorite slang from this list? Drop it in the comments or share your own local variant. If you enjoyed this article, share it with your friends or on social media—and don’t forget to subscribe for more language and culture deep dives. Now go out and greet a friend with “How far?” or show some of that Naija swagger in your next conversation. No dull yourself—this is your time to shine!

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