Before meeting Ben, I was under the impression that American English and New Zealand English were essentially the same language. Boy, was I wrong! Coming to New Zealand for the first time made me feel like I was on a different planet (in more ways than one). Inspired by the running list I’ve had in my Notes app since 2017, here are 45 New Zealand slang phrases explained.
What is a Kiwi?
Let’s start off with a quick lesson! You might have heard the word Kiwi used in relation to New Zealand. The word has two meanings here:
- A flightless bird endemic to New Zealand, or
- A nickname for people from New Zealand.
Using the term Kiwi to describe someone from New Zealand is not offensive. On the contrary — it’s actually endearing.
Side note: the green and brown fuzzy fruits that we call kiwis in the USA are known as “kiwifruits” here in New Zealand. It’s an important distinction!
New Zealand slang
1. Sweet as — “I get to leave work early today? Sweet as bro!”
Nobody knows what it’s as sweet as. This is a phrase meaning great or awesome. (The first time I heard this phrase in person, I thought they had said “sweet ass.” Nope!)
Kiwis use the word “as” all the time at the end of adjectives — sick as, mean as, cheap as, etc.
2. Chur — “Here’s a beer mate” “Chur”
This is a shortened form of cheers, usually meaning thanks. It can also mean awesome, cool, great, etc.
3. Yeah nah — “Want a sandwich?” “Yeah nah, I’m good”
An indecisive no. The longer they drag out the words, the less sure they are.
4. Munted — “The spring on my sofa is munted”
Can mean broken, but also can be used to say someone is drunk.
5. Eh — “That was a good concert, eh?”
Eh is a multi-purpose word for Kiwis. You can add this word onto basically any kind of sentence and it would make sense.
6. Skull — “Skull your beer, we have to leave soon”
This is a common word meaning drink or chug. It’s a common word to hear chanted at the bar or at a party.
7. Bugger — “Bugger, the birds ate all my strawberries!”
Used when something goes wrong.
8. Tu meke — “I cooked you dinner” “Tu meke bro”
This is a Maori phrase meaning too much. It’s used to say thank you, great, awesome, etc.
9. Bro & cuz — “Here’s that $10 I owe you” “Cheers cuz”
Bro and cuz are the Kiwi versions of dude. They usually refer to your friend, not your actual brother or cousin.
10. Happy as Larry — “That puppy is happy as Larry curled up in those blankets”
Another way to say happy as a clam/extremely happy. Nobody knows who Larry is.
11. Chocka — “Want some food?” “Nah, I’m chocka”
This means full. You can also add blocka to the end, making it chocka blocka (super full). See also: the description on these classic Kiwi cookies.
12. She’ll be right — “Looks like your car doesn’t fit in that park” “Nah, she’ll be right”
She’ll be right means it will be alright. Kiwis use the word she even if what they’re referring to is an object or a male.
13. Take the piss — “You just won the lotto!” “Nah, you’re taking the piss”
This is a phrase meaning to joke or make fun of. You can take the piss out of someone or a situation that is funny.
14. Pissed — “Brian just skulled 3 shots of vodka, he’s pissed as”
Pissed in American means angry. In Kiwi, it means drunk.
15. Piss-up — “Come around later, we’re having a piss-up”
A piss-up is a gathering or party that involves drinking. The word piss itself can refer to actual urine or alcohol. Kiwis have a lot of slang involving piss!
16. Spin a yarn — “Grandpa Bob always loves spinning yarns”
To spin a yarn means to tell a story or have a chat with someone. Kiwis also use the word yarning to refer to talking in general.
17. Jandals — “Make sure you wear your jandals to the beach!”
Jandals are plain old rubber flip-flops. Not to be confused with sandals, which are a fancier, often strappy women’s shoe.
18. Chilly bin — “Could you grab me a Speight’s on your way out? They’re in the chilly bin”
A chilly bin is literally what it sounds like — a container that keeps your drinks cold. This can also be referred to as an esky. Americans use the word cooler.
19. Togs — “I forgot my togs and had to swim in the nude”
Togs usually refer to men’s swim trunks, but can also be used as a general word for swimsuit. It’s always plural — you can’t have one tog.
20. Heaps — “Can I borrow a pen?” “Sure, I’ve got heaps”
Kiwis use this word all the time (or should I say, heaps?). It means lots or tons.
21. Ta — “I made you a cup of tea” “Ta”
This is another (really short) word for thank you.
22. Crack-up — “That comedy show was a crack-up eh?”
A crack-up is someone or something that is really funny.
23. Arvo — “Don’t forget, lunch at my place tomorrow arvo!”
Arvo is a short way of saying afternoon.
24. P-head — “There are a bunch of p-heads in the park tonight”
This is one of those slang words that doesn’t really make sense. A p-head is someone addicted to methamphetamine (a meth-head). “P” refers to the drug itself.
25. Touch wood — “The All Blacks are going to win tomorrow, touch wood”
This is the Kiwi way of saying knock on wood. Used when you really hope something is going to happen but you don’t want to jinx it.
26. Gutted — “I’m gutted that we had to miss your party”
Gutted is a super common way of saying disappointed or sad.
27. Chook — “I got us a cooked chook for dinner”
A chook is a chicken, either living or dead. A cooked chook usually refers to those ready-made roast chickens they sell at the supermarket.
28. Blow up — “Had to take my car to the mechanic, she blew up”
This doesn’t mean to literally explode! Blow up is another way of saying broke down or stopped working.
29. Hard out — “Pistachio is the best ice cream flavour” “Hard out!”
This is a way of showing someone that you agree strongly with their statement. Saying hard out is like saying hell yeah.
30. Wop wops — “She lives out in the wop wops”
In American, we would say out in the boonies, meaning somewhere rural and far from civilization. You could also say “in the wops” (with only one wop).
31. Bach — “We spent a week at our bach over Christmas”
A bach is a holiday home or beach house. Owning a bach isn’t restricted only for the super wealthy; many middle class Kiwis are able to afford them as well.
32. Bugger all — “Did you do anything this weekend?” “Nah, I’ve got bugger all money”
This means none or not a lot.
33. Beached as — “My car broke down again. I’m beached as!”
Beached as is another way of saying I’m screwed. This phrase came from a classic Youtube video about a beached whale.
For full context, I highly recommend watching this video!
34. Dairy — “I picked up some biscuits at the dairy”
A dairy is a small convenience store. They sell snacks, ready-made food like pies, and basic groceries like bread and (you guessed it) milk.
35. Packing a sad — “You don’t want to bother him right now, he’s packing a sad”
This phrase means to be moody or bad tempered. It can also refer to throwing a temper tantrum.
36. Macca’s — “Want anything from Macca’s? I’m getting a burger and fries*”
A short way to say McDonald’s.
* French fries are called chips, unless they come from Macca’s — then they’re called fries.
37. Pash — “Jim and Pam were pashing at the party the other night”
To pash means to make out. On a related note, it’s possible to get pash rash (red and irritated skin around the mouth) from pashing too long.
38. Dag — “That Jane is such a dag”
A dag is someone who is eccentric, outrageous, or funny. This can be either an insult or an affectionate compliment, depending on the context. Literally, a dag is also a piece of shit caught in a sheep’s woolen rear end.
39. Keen — “I’m keen to check out that new restaurant”
Keen means enthusiastically willing or down to do something.
40. Mean — “I’ll be at the show tonight too” “Mean!”
This is another word for awesome, excellent, or cool.
41. Pie — “Do you want a steak or chicken pie?”
This isn’t exactly slang, but it did confuse me for a while when I first came here. A pie in New Zealand, 99% of the time, refers to a savory meat-filled pie. They’re individual sized and are sold in bakeries and supermarkets. Sweet or fruity pies aren’t nearly as common here.
42. Giz us a hoon — “Ahh, that drink looks good. Giz us a hoon”
Meaning let me try or can I have some. “Giz us a hoon on your missus” is a variation of this phrase that Kiwis say when they pass a pretty lady and want to take her home.
43. Smoko — “Alright team, let’s take a smoko in ten minutes”
A smoko is a break from working. It can also refer to the small, mid-morning snack provided during the break. You can take a smoko, go out for a smoko, or provide a smoko to others.
44. Tea — “Come around later for tea”
Tea can refer to the hot drink or to dinner. You kind of have to have some context to understand which they mean.
45. Call in — “I’ll call in sometime tomorrow to pick up the cake”
This means to drop by or come around, usually without notice. Kiwis are much more likely than Americans to stop by someone’s house without asking first. It’s not seen as rude in New Zealand, which is something I definitely had to get used to!
After reading this handy New Zealand slang dictionary, you’ll hopefully be able to understand more of what the hell those Kiwis are talking about. If you want to see more posts about my life here in New Zealand, click here!
xoxo Niki
Pin this post to save it for later!
