Welcome to this post about top 15 Slangs in Nigeria and their Meaning, via Afrokonnect. Slangs in Nigeria are more common in communication and texting.
Slangs are words or phrases that are informal and are more common in speech than in writing. 2023 offered us so much slangs than in other years and 2024 is still feeding the streets more,
Some came from our favourite celebrities, while others came from experiences and stories. We can’t neglect the fact that these slangs became famous due to thier usage on social media.
Here are some popular slangs in Nigeria in 2024;
1. OPOOR
This slang came from the AYIII Crooner, the only name that comes to your head Whenever you hear ayiii is kapachumarichupaco himself “Zlatan”.
He says it in almost all of his songs and as a result it became a popular slang in Nigeria. OPOOR can be used to express excitement about something.
2. Inside Life | Slangs in Nigeria
Arguably the most common slang in 2019 and 2020. The slang “inside life” was popularize by Naira Marley.
Inside life was used in Naira Marley’s song Soapy and since then it went viral. literally inside life is used to show disappointment or pity at an event or situation.
3. SHENK
Shenk is one the most direct slangs in Nigeria, It has no other meaning than cut off.
4. HUSTLE O
This is probably my best slang of the year because it serves as a form of encouragement. From the slang itself, the meaning is self explainatory and it means to put in more effort at making money.
5. MAD OOOO
The reigning slang currently as i write this. It’s an exclamation of surprise, Excitement or just vibes.
Slangs in Nigeria and Their Meaning in 2024
6. Oluwa wetin dey happen
This slang is used when you don’t have an answer to a situation and you’re in shock or surprise. It means God what’s wrong, it is used to exclaim at things that people feel man can’t explain.
7. MARLIAN | Slangs in Nigeria
Marlians is what 2019’s artiste of the year Naira marley calls his fans. SEE ALSO – MEANING OF MARLIANS, MARLIAN RECORD LABEL BY NAIRA MARLEY
Characteristics of a marlian include but not only no mannaz, no belt gang and smoking.
Slangs in nigeria and their meaning
8. Meaning of Jara
The word Jara is usually used between a buyer and a seller, when a customer says “please Add Jara for me” after buying something from a seller,
The customer simply means the seller should Add Extra to what was already given to them. Jara was initially derived from Yoruba language, but it’s used as a slang in Nigeria all over today.
9. Meaning of an Ajebutter
Ajebutter is the same as Ajebo, Bota or Botti in Nigeria. When I say “my girlfriend is an Ajebutter or an Ajebo” I simply mean she’s from a rich home. Botti or Ajebutter is a person born with a silver
Slangs in Nigeria and Their meaning
SEE ALSO – Online Jobs in Nigeria you can start from home
10. Ashewo
In Nigeria a sex worker is also called Ashawo or an OPO. This noun is a slang for sex workers. It can also be a derogatory term. An Ashawo simply means a Prostitute, though it can be used as an insult against a woman that sleeps with too many men.
11. Osha pra pra
This slang can be used to greet a fellow friend or anyone else. Osha pra pra is more like “how are you” in short to spice your greeting with someone you know.
It is usually used when one is praising another, which is loosely translated to mean “you are dope!”. It is mostly used in the street to hail/greet a friend or acquaintance who is passing by.
12. Meaning of Lepa and Orobo – Slangs in Nigeria in 2024
Lepa and Orobo are opposites of each other. When a Nigerian says “my girlfriend is Lepa” they refers to a sexy slim woman.
While on the other hand Orobo is loosely the opposite of lepa. It refers to a sexy plump/thick woman, It can also be used as a derogatory remark sometimes.
13. Amebo | Slangs in Nigeria
This word Amebo or over sabi is used to refer to a person who likes to gossip or spread gossip and cannot be trusted.
Literally Amebo means Gossip, for example if a Nigerian says “You too like amebo” or “That girl is an amebo”. They’re simply trying to tell you that the person likes gossip.
What are popular slang words – Nigerian Slangs in 2024?
Meaning of E choke
The year 2021 came with a new slang, This slang is called “E choke”, the slang is used to express Bragging or showing off one’s Status, it is an expression of excitement, encouragement and ginger.
The E choke slang was created by Nigerian Musician Popularly known as Davido aka OBO, in one of his tweet Davido said he has plans of getting the “E choke” Slang copyrighted and own it legally.
Fall My Hand
The slang “Fall my Hand” is usually used when Someone is disappointed by a person or something that happened, E.G “Arsenal Dey always fall my”, which means Arsenal always Disappoint me.
14. What does Japa mean in Nigeria?
In Nigerian pidgin Japa can be used instead of Runaway. The word “Japa” means to runaway in a Nigerian slang.
If I say “As I just hear the police siren, I Japa quickly “, it simply means I ran away when I heard the police siren. According to Naira Marley Japaing is The act of escaping, running away or avoiding someone or something especially by way of trickery.
15. What does Mugu or Maga mean in Nigerian slang?
If a Nigerian can refer to a fool or an unwise person as Mugu or maga using Pidgin. Mugu is a Nigerian Pidgin term which means ‘Big fool’.
Though In the West it is mainly known in the context of Advance fee fraud, when a person is scammed he is often referred to as the Mugu or maga.
Bonus: What is Aza in Nigeria?
Aza is a Nigerian slang that simply means bank account – aza (originally mean safe) when a Nigerian says “Send your Aza” he/she means send your Account number.
Bonus: What is the meaning of a Yahoo boy?
If you’ll like to know the meaning of a yahoo boy then check out our article about meaning and the top 10 richest yahoo boys in Nigeria.
Watch the video below to find out more common pidgin phrases,
Slangs in Nigeria and their meanings:
Meaning of Sapa – Slangs in Nigeria
Just like every other year, in Nigeria there’s always a new slang in the street, in the first half of 2021 we’ve seen SAPA dominated the social media space and even the way we converse,
A lot of people use the Slang Sapa in different ways, to some Naija boys “Sapa shall not be defined to thou, Sapa explains itself to thy when thy gets choked by Sapa”,
In essence when you’re broke you’ll know the meaning, Sapa is the Highest level of being broke, SAPA is a term used in Nigerian Pidgin English to describe a state of being extremely broke or poor, Usually after spending extravagantly.
Another Synonym for SAPA is OWU, For example Using pidgin English a Nigerian can say:
“Naso yesterday we flex life for club me and my guys but today Sapa don choke all of us for neck, nice one sapa”, which means yesterday we had a good time in the club after spending a lot of money but today we’re broke.
Slangs in Nigeria Bonus: Over-sabi
Simply means someone’s trying to act or do something they were not asked to, otherwise known as I too know, it is a noun referring to someone who is a busy-body, or mocking someone who over-performs his/her intelligence/knowledge. E.g. “I did not ask you, over-sabi.”
Bonus: Kolo
This verb simply means to go crazy or mad, this can mean literally or metaphorically depending on the context. For example: “He don kolo” means he’s gone mad or “You Dey Kolo?” Which Means “are you mad”?
Bonus: Rizz
Without context, “Rizz” could refer to various things such as a person’s name, a nickname, or possibly a term related to a specific context like gaming, slang, or a local reference. If you’re using it in the context of being influential, you might say something like:
“Her speeches and actions have a certain ‘Rizz’ about them, inspiring others to follow her lead in making positive changes.”
