ulimi

n'anga haizvirape (or n'anga haizvirapi) Literal meaning: a sangoma ("traditional healer") can't diagnose and heal themself. Contextual meaning: when an authoritative person whose role is to enforce the law gets caught up in corruption, or supposedly if they commit a heinous crime, it makes...

chi zhing-zhong this means Chinese language and it doesn't matter what dialect it is whether it's Mandarin, Cantonese, or whatever. Chi zhing-zhong is sometimes loosely used in reference to Oriental culture just like how the word Chivheti is used in the context of Occidental culture. However...

or homwe means a medium (a living person) for either mhondoro or mudzimu (a spirit of a deceased person). Note: To keep things simple and without being too verbose just think of svikiro as someone who is possessed by a late influential ancestor of the same tribe or someone closely related to...

bharanzi kugwinha gwalangwa hakudanwi anonzwa means when an uncultivated person starts making a few coins they are often too eager to let the world know they are now a mbingaldo by flashing money whilst the wealthy remain steady — moving in silence. Note: Although people are entitled to do...

mhondoro means a tutelary spirit of a dead prominent ancestor (or a progenitor) that gets to be hosted by a svikiro (i.e., a living person who plays the role of being a medium by bridging the gap between people who are still alive and those who have passed on). mudzimu means the spirit of a...

roora squad these are bridesmaids at a traditional wedding, or in other words, a group of ladies who accompany a woman (muroora) who is about to be traditionally married at her official lobola ceremony (i.e. also known as either rovora or roora ceremony). Note: roora is a traditional practice...

tsikamutanda means a witch-hunter or a traditional exorcist. They are usually paid by people to catch zvikwambo or zvidhoma. However, some (but not all) of these traditional exorcists are bogus because they will covertly plant their stuff (for example, a snake) at someone's house and then...

shavi (or shave) this is a foreign or alien spirit (mweya wemutorwa) that is not associated with your clan's tutelary spirit (mhondoro) or the spirit of your ancestor (mudzimu). By the way, be mindful that there is a difference between mhondoro and mudzimu. Note: The plural form for either...

means Mbare, a high-density area located in the capital city of Zimbabwe i.e., Harare. Note: Gaburenda isn't much of a popular word with many Zimbos, especially those living in posh suburbs in Zimbabwe. But most people are familiar with the slang term Magaba which means the same thing.

mbiri yekenduru kukuzirirwa kunzi rino pfuta apa ndiro ririkupera Literal translation: it's the glory of a candle to burn bright yet it will soon extinguish. What it means: usually when a successful person is at the top of their game and things are going extremely well for them they are often...

means to act and behave without any forethought and for this reason, people who have dzungu (also known as bvepfepfe or kubhabhauka) are very impulsive and most likely not to have any filter whatsoever. Obviously to have dzungu is a weakness because you don't want to provoke the wrong crowd...

smart yekukwereta (or smart rekukwereta) Definition: to wear expensive designer clothes that you have just borrowed from one of your rich friends, cousin, or neighbor. There some Zimbos do this as a means to look the part especially when they are going for an interview, attending a wedding, or...

kudhomoka (or kuzeyeretsa in formal chiShona) means to act kinda weird or go extremely out of control often as a result of taking highly addictive drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, valium, marijuana, etc. There are of course other numerous Zim slang synonyms but some of them depend on...

1: "there" (i.e., an adverb when you've gots to make reference to a place or location) 2: the verb "to be" (i.e., am, are, is, was, and were) Note: Deh ("day" or "de" if y'all wanna write it that way) can also be used just like the NPE linking verb dey. Example sentences Other phrases...

means: "for", "to", "should", "ought to", "advise to fear for something/caution of harm". Examples Fi is also used in Patwah for possessive pronouns and these are listed below: JC 1st meaning 2nd meaning Fi mi Mine For me Fi yu Yours For you Fi wi Ours For us Fi dem Theirs For...

Although many Jamaicans, that is, the ones born and bred there, (not the ones in the diaspora) are fluent and eloquent when it comes to speaking Patwah; I have heard on numerous occasions that many (but not all) Jamaicans are illiterate if given an entire article, or a short story written in...

means: "confirm" Example usage:

means: "museum" Example usage

means: " them", "themselves", "those", "they", "their", or the suffix "-s" Note: In World English to make most nouns plural you gotta add the suffix -s right at the end of a word. However, in Jamaican Creole the suffix -s on some words—not all of them—becomes dem right after whatchu tryna say...

means: "his", or "him" Example sentences Note: Im is also found in Jamaican Creole and it means "he", "him", "she", or "hers". E.g.