Caribbean Slang Guide: 100 Essential Terms to Embrace Island Vibes

The Caribbean—sun-soaked beaches, lively music, vibrant culture—is home to a rich tapestry of languages and dialects that vary from island to island. Whether you’re exploring a reggae festival in Jamaica, taking a soca class in Trinidad, strolling through the streets of Puerto Rico, or sipping a ti’ punch in Martinique, you’ll encounter local slang that reveals each island’s flair and flavor.

This ultimate guide introduces 100 essential Caribbean slang terms, spanning various islands to help you speak the lingo and soak up the region’s unique energies. Ready to add some island vibes to your vocabulary? Let’s dive in!

Why Learn Caribbean Slang?

1. Cultural Immersion

From Jamaican Patois to Trinidadian Creole, Caribbean slang is colorful, musical, and brimming with character. Using terms like “Irie” or “liming” can break barriers and spark immediate connections with locals.

2. Understand Local Music & Media

Caribbean hits—like dancehall, soca, reggaeton—and local films often feature slang that standard dictionaries don’t capture. Recognizing a phrase like “weh yuh deh?” or “fete” turns confusion into enjoyment.

3. It’s Fun & Memorable

Slang highlights cultural humor, history, and everyday living. Learning it can feel like stepping into a friend’s living room rather than a tourist hotel.

Fun Fact: A 2021 regional language survey found that nearly 80% of Caribbean youth frequently use slang or creole terms in daily conversation—especially on social media.

Quick Tips for Caribbean Slang

1. Dialects Vary by Island: Jamaican slang differs from Trinidadian or Barbadian. Pay attention to local usage.
2. Sound & Attitude: The cadence of speech is crucial—Caribbean talk can be sing-song, rhythmic, or laid-back.
3. Context Rules: Certain words (like “bacchanal” or “gyal”) might be playful among friends but not suitable in formal or older settings.
4. Experiment Gently: Mix a few terms and watch for locals’ responses. They’ll often appreciate the effort.

Greetings & Everyday Expressions (1–10)

1. Wah gwaan? (Jamaica)
   • Meaning: “What’s going on?” or “What’s up?”
   • Usage: “Wah gwaan, bredren? Yuh good?” (“What’s up, friend? You alright?”)
2. Irie (Jamaica)
   • Meaning: “All good,” “awesome,” or “feeling great.”
   • Usage: “I’m feeling irie after that beach day.”
3. Small up yuhself (Jamaica)
   • Meaning: “Make room,” literally “make yourself smaller.”
   • Usage: “Small up yuhself, let me pass.” (On a crowded bus or dance floor.)
4. Liming (Trinidad & Tobago)
   • Meaning: “Hanging out,” “chilling with friends,” from “lime.”
   • Usage: “We’re just liming by the beach this evening.”
5. Big up (Various islands)
   • Meaning: “Respect,” “congratulations,” or “shout out.”
   • Usage: “Big up to all the local artists at this festival.”
6. Bless up (Jamaica)
   • Meaning: “Stay blessed,” or “take care,” sometimes greeting or farewell.
   • Usage: “Alright, me gone now—bless up, fam!”
7. Wey yuh deh? (Jamaica)
   • Meaning: “Where are you?” or “How are you doing?”
   • Usage: “Long time no see, wey yuh deh?”
8. Ay ay (Barbados)
   • Meaning: “Wow,” “Oh dear,” “Oh boy,” an exclamation.
   • Usage: “Ay ay, you’re late again? That’s trouble.”
9. Buss a lime (Trinidad & Tobago)
   • Meaning: “Go have fun,” “take a break,” from “lime.”
   • Usage: “Finish work early? Let’s buss a lime in town.”
10. Dat is real ting (Trinidad & Tobago)
    • Meaning: “That’s legit,” “That’s the real deal.”
    • Usage: “This roti? Dat is real ting, man.”

People & Friendship (11–20)

11. Bredren / Sistren (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Brother” / “Sister,” used among close friends.
    • Usage: “Bless, my bredren. Let’s link up later.”
12. Pardner (Barbados, Trinidad)
    • Meaning: “Partner,” “buddy,” or “pal.”
    • Usage: “Pardner, what time we heading to the fete?”
13. Gyal (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Girl,” from “girl.”
    • Usage: “That gyal can really dance, star.”
14. Bubblin’ (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Having a good time,” or “party vibe.”
    • Usage: “The dancefloor is bubblin’ tonight.”
15. Bashment (Jamaica, also used in other islands)
    • Meaning: “A big party,” “massive gathering.”
    • Usage: “He’s throwing a bashment for his birthday.”
16. Famalay (Trinidad & Tobago)
    • Meaning: “Family,” referencing a close group of friends.
    • Usage: “I trust my famalay, they got my back.”
17. Skettel (Trinidad)
    • Meaning: “Promiscuous girl,” used in youth slang. Use with caution— can be offensive.
    • Usage: “That’s not my scene, too many skettels around.”
18. Auntie / Tantie (Caribbean-wide)
    • Meaning: “Aunt,” or affectionate address for an older woman.
    • Usage: “Auntie, your food always tastes the best.”
19. Unu (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “You all,” plural “you.”
    • Usage: “Unu come over here and see this.”
20. Massive (Various)
    • Meaning: “Crowd,” “group,” also used for a collective shout-out.
    • Usage: “Big up the dancehall massive inside tonight!”

Expressing Emotions & Reactions (21–30)

21. Rhel (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Real,” as in “very,” intensifier.
• Usage: “That was rhel good music, boy.”

22. Dat sweet (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “That’s great/awesome,” literally “that’s sweet.”
• Usage: “Dat sweet, they lowered the ticket price.”

23. Maco (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Nosy,” or “to spy,” referencing someone prying.
• Usage: “Don’t maco my business, man!”

24. Criss (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Good,” “fine,” “looking nice.”
• Usage: “She looking criss in that outfit.”

25. Dutty (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Dirty,” can be literal or used for fierce in dancing/music.
• Usage: “This yard is dutty, need to clean up,” or “That’s a dutty wine move.”

26. Sah (Barbados)

• Meaning: “Man!” or “sir,” used for emphasis.
• Usage: “Sah, that fish tastes so good!”

27. Oo gosh (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Oh my God,” expressing surprise or annoyance.
• Usage: “Oo gosh, traffic is jammed again!”

28. Rass (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Damn,” “heck,” an expletive—use with caution.
• Usage: “Rass, I missed the bus again.”

29. Cho (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Tsk,” “whatever,” mild exasperation.
• Usage: “Cho, I’m not paying that price, too expensive.”

30. Parang (Trinidad & Tobago)

• Meaning: “To make noise,” or referencing Christmas folk music tradition.
• Usage: “Stop the parang, let’s settle this calmly.”

Food & Dining Slang (31–40)

31. Pelau (Trinidad & Tobago)

• Meaning: Iconic one-pot dish with rice, peas, meat. Also used to say “all mixed up.”
• Usage: “We’re making pelau for lunch—everyone’s invited.”

32. Doubles (Trinidad)

• Meaning: Popular street food: curried chickpeas in bara (flatbread).
• Usage: “Grab some doubles for breakfast, they’re cheap and tasty.”

33. Bake and Shark (Trinidad)

• Meaning: Fried shark sandwich in fried dough “bake.”
• Usage: “Maracas Beach is famous for its bake and shark stands.”

34. Saltfish (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Salted cod,” a staple in many island dishes.
• Usage: “Saltfish and ackee is the Jamaican national dish.”

35. Coo-Coo / Cou-Cou (Barbados)

• Meaning: Cornmeal and okra dish, Bajan staple.
• Usage: “Flying fish and cou-cou is Barbados’ national meal.”

36. Patties / Patties (Jamaica)

• Meaning: Flaky pastry with spiced fillings.
• Usage: “A Jamaican patty is the perfect snack any time.”

37. Callaloo (Trinidad & Jamaica)

• Meaning: Leafy greens stew, used across the region.
• Usage: “Callaloo with coconut milk is a Sunday favorite.”

38. Roti (Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana)

• Meaning: Flatbread stuffed with curry.
• Usage: “Chicken roti or goat roti? Hard to choose!”

39. Pepperpot (Guyana)

• Meaning: Spicy stew with cassareep, national dish of Guyana.
• Usage: “Pepperpot for Christmas morning—best tradition ever.”

40. Dhalpurie / Dhall Puri (Trinidad & Guyana)

• Meaning: Lentil-filled roti.
• Usage: “Dhall puri is so soft—can’t get enough with curry.”

Internet & Tech Slang (41–50)

41. Link up (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Meet up,” from English usage.
• Usage: “We go link up later at the bar, yeah?”

42. AF (Caribbean-based social media)

• Meaning: “As f**k,” from global internet usage, also used in Caribbean contexts.
• Usage: “This carnival is lit AF.”

43. Rethread / RT

• Meaning: “Retweet” or “share post,” from social media usage.
• Usage: “I saw your tweet—just gonna rethread it for my followers.”

44. Dweet (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Do it,” from “do it.”
• Usage: “Mi see yuh plan fi dweet big—go for it, man.”

45. Pull up

• Meaning: “Arrive,” “come through,” from global rap usage.
• Usage: “Pull up to the fete around 9 PM.”

46. Dash out

• Meaning: “Show off your dance moves,” from Jamaican dance scene.
• Usage: “She dash out on the dancefloor last night, it was epic.”

47. Insta

• Meaning: “Instagram,” from English.
• Usage: “Check my Insta story for carnival pictures.”

48. DM

• Meaning: “Direct message,” from English.
• Usage: “Slide into my DM if you want more details.”

49. Mixtape

• Meaning: “Compilation music,” from Jamaican/reggae culture, used widely.
• Usage: “Check my mixtape on SoundCloud, new dancehall tracks.”

50. Yuh link

• Meaning: “Your contact,” “your plug,” referencing phone or social media.
• Usage: “Gimme yuh link so I can chat you later.”

Love & Dating Slang (51–60)

51. Courting (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Dating,” an older term but still used.
• Usage: “They’ve been courting for months, might get married soon.”

52. One fete ting (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Hookup from a party,” fleeting romance.
• Usage: “They met at carnival, just a one fete ting, nah serious.”

53. Sweetman / Sweetwoman (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Side lover,” extramarital or hidden fling.
• Usage: “He’s rumored to be her sweetman on the side.”

54. Macco (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “To watch closely,” can be flirting or just being nosy.
• Usage: “He macco the new girl since she arrived.”

55. Take a wine (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Dance intimately,” from “wining.”
• Usage: “He asked her to take a wine during the soca track.”

56. Radar (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Interest,” “I’m checking you out,” borrowed from English.
• Usage: “She’s on my radar, might ask her out.”

57. Haffe (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Have to,” expressing urgency or desire.
• Usage: “I haffe link that girl I saw at the party.”

58. Zess (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Flirt,” from local dance/music scene.
• Usage: “He trying to zess with that cutie across the bar.”

59. Tun up (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Turn up,” “get intense,” can apply to romantic vibe.
• Usage: “The vibe was tun up, so we ended up dancing close.”

60. Small talk (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Light flirting or conversation,” from English usage.
• Usage: “We had small talk at the beach, next step maybe a date.”

Family & Daily Life (61–70)

61. Ma / Pa (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Mom / Dad,” affectionate short forms.
• Usage: “Ma, what’s for dinner tonight?”

62. Tantie (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Aunt,” used also for any older female family friend.
• Usage: “Tantie making callaloo for Sunday lunch.”

63. Nenen (Haiti, parts of the Caribbean)

• Meaning: “Godmother” or “close aunt,” from French “marraine” transformations.
• Usage: “My nenen always visits on holidays.”

64. Modda (Jamaica)

• Meaning: Variation of “mother,” used in Jamaican families.
• Usage: “Modda says dinner ready at 7.”

65. Sis (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Sister,” from English usage, friendly context.
• Usage: “Hey sis, help me pick an outfit.”

66. Bruh (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Brother,” from English, casual.
• Usage: “Bruh, that game was intense.”

67. Watch dem (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Be cautious about them,” from standard English “watch them.”
• Usage: “Watch dem, they love to gossip.”

68. Out dere

• Meaning: “Being busy/out in the street,” from Jamaican usage.
• Usage: “I’m out dere hustling, mom. Don’t worry.”

69. Nuff (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Plenty,” “a lot,” or “overly forward.”
• Usage: “He’s so nuff, always pushing into our convo.”

70. Han’ to mout’ (Caribbean)

• Meaning: “Hand to mouth,” living day by day.
• Usage: “Right now, it’s han’ to mout’, can’t save money.”

Negative Feelings & Frustrations (71–80)

71. Chook mout (Caribbean)

• Meaning: “Interfere with speech,” “butt in.”
• Usage: “Stop chook mout in our argument, man.”

72. Tote feelings (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Hold a grudge,” from “carry feelings.”
• Usage: “Don’t tote feelings—let’s solve this now.”

73. Vex (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Angry,” from old English usage.
• Usage: “He’s vex because he lost the race.”

74. Suck-teeth / Steups (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: The “tsk” sound showing annoyance or disapproval.
• Usage: “Why you steups? I only said it once.”

75. Bruk up (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Broken,” “exhausted,” or “beat up.”
• Usage: “After that workout, I’m bruk up, can’t move.”

76. Doh bizniz (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “I don’t care,” literally “don’t business.”
• Usage: “He can come or not, I doh bizniz.”

77. Jam up (Caribbean-wide)

• Meaning: “Crowded,” “overly packed,” from “jam.”
• Usage: “The bus is jam up—no space to stand even.”

78. Fass (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Nosy,” “in people’s business,” from “fast.”
• Usage: “She’s too fass, always asking personal questions.”

79. Likkle more (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “See you later,” from “a little more time.”
• Usage: “I gotta run, so likkle more, bruh.”

80. Hard ears (Caribbean)

• Meaning: “Stubborn,” “won’t listen,” from “hard of hearing.”
• Usage: “He’s so hard ears, never does what we advise.”

Pop Culture & Trends (81–90)

81. Big chune (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Major hit song,” from “tune.”
• Usage: “That track is a big chune on the radio now.”

82. Fete (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Party,” or “large celebration.”
• Usage: “We hitting the fete for Carnival, can’t wait.”

83. Soca (Trinidad & Tobago)

• Meaning: “Soul of Calypso,” a popular music genre.
• Usage: “Soca vibes are huge during carnival season.”

84. Mas (Trinidad & Tobago)

• Meaning: “Masquerade,” referencing Carnival costumes and parade.
• Usage: “She playing mas with that band—costume is gorgeous.”

85. Dem bow (Caribbean)

• Meaning: A Jamaican reggaeton/dancehall rhythm, influences much Caribbean music.
• Usage: “This dem bow riddim got everyone dancing.”

86. Wine & jam (Trinidad)

• Meaning: “Dance intimately,” from soca culture.
• Usage: “Time to wine & jam when the best soca comes on.”

87. Puncheon (Trinidad)

• Meaning: Very strong rum, referencing a local spirit brand.
• Usage: “Watch out, puncheon will knock you out if you’re not careful.”

88. Bubblin’ (Jamaica)

• Meaning: Repeated “Having a good time,” from dance/music context.

89. J’ouvert (Trinidad & Tobago)

• Meaning: “Carnival opening party,” early morning start.
• Usage: “J’ouvert starts at 4am—messy but epic!”

90. Dancehall (Jamaica)

• Meaning: A popular Jamaican music genre, also the culture around it.
• Usage: “Dancehall nights on Friday are pure fire.”

Additional 10 Slang Gems (91–100)

91. Pickney (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Child,” from West African influences.
    • Usage: “That pickney always playing outside.”
92. Tan so back (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Relax,” “chill,” literally “stand so behind,” meaning “take it easy.”
    • Usage: “We just tan so back on Sunday, watch Netflix.”
93. Have a time (Trinidad)
    • Meaning: “Enjoy oneself thoroughly.”
    • Usage: “We goin’ to that fete to have a time, trust me.”
94. Tune fi tune (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Song for song,” a DJ battle approach.
    • Usage: “Tune fi tune, that clash was insane.”
95. Brawta (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Bonus” or “extra,” e.g. an extra portion from a vendor.
    • Usage: “The fruit seller gave me brawta—two extra mangoes.”
96. Scrunting (Trinidad)
    • Meaning: “Struggling,” or “making do with little resources.”
    • Usage: “I’m scrunting until payday—money is tight.”
97. Cool scene (Caribbean)
    • Meaning: “It’s all good,” “No problem,” from English usage.
    • Usage: “You’re late? Cool scene, man.”
98. One time (Jamaica)
    • Meaning: “Immediately,” “Right away.”
    • Usage: “Let’s do it one time—no long talk.”
99. Doux-doux (Trinidad & Tobago)
    • Meaning: “Sweetheart,” from French “doux” meaning sweet.
    • Usage: “She’s my doux-doux, always caring for me.”
100. Rude bwoy / Rude gyal (Jamaica)

• Meaning: “Tough guy / girl,” from dancehall culture.
• Usage: “She’s a rude gyal, doesn’t fear anyone.”

Conclusion: Soak Up the Island Vibes

¡Fini! You’ve just sailed through 100 essential Caribbean slang terms, capturing the pulse of Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Haiti, and beyond. By mixing in expressions like “wah gwaan?” or “liming,” you’ll not only sound more local but also earn smiles and connections with new Caribbean friends.

Final Tips

• Dial in Your Tone: Some words, especially weón or rass, might be strong. Listen to how locals use them first.
• Make It Fun: Slang is about enjoyment—drop a phrase or two in a conversation, see how others react, and learn as you go.
• Keep Updating: Language evolves. If you hear a new expression, ask someone local for meaning and origin.

Call to Action

Which slang term or phrase do you love the most? Share your favorites in the comments below or any slang from your own Caribbean experiences! If you found this guide helpful, spread the island vibes by sharing it on social media. Don’t forget to subscribe for more tips on language, culture, and travel.

Now, mon, it’s time to step out with your fresh Caribbean slang knowledge. Whether you’re in Kingston, Port of Spain, or a local Caribbean spot near you, flaunt those “island vibes” with confidence and enjoy that warm regional spirit. One love!

See Also: Chilean Slang Guide: 100 Essential Terms for Authentic Local Flavor