Discover Contemporary Shona Slang
A community-driven dictionary of modern Zimbabwean expressions
All Words(360 words)
Mate / Bro / My friend. A friendly way to address a male peer, similar to “bro” or “mate.”
Etiquette notes
Age & respect: Usually used with someone your own age or younger. Dropping “wangu” to an elder can sound cheeky or disrespectful.
Gender: Most often aimed at men; calling a woman “wangu” is uncommon unless you know each other well and she’s cool with it.
"X: Wangu, phone yako bho here? Y: Ah, bho zvekuti, inongoda charger nyowani."
"X: My guy, is your phone good? Y: Ah, very good, it just needs a new charger."
by Ruvimbo_24 17 Jun 2025
How is it going? / How are you? / How are things? / How's life? / What's up?
"Zvakamirasei wangu?"
"How's it going my friend?"
by Nesu-epic 17 Jun 2025