Wha Gwan? Yuh Good?.
That’s the Jamaican way of asking “How are you?” And “Are you ok?”
If you’re planning to explore Jamaica anytime soon, it might be a good idea to brush up on your Patois.
Jamaican Patois or as we refer to it here “Patwa,” is an English-based language used by people of the island. It’s not uncommon to pass two friends having a conversation about their day, or someone ordering in a restaurant and hear them speaking Patwa.
In fact, some people are more comfortable communicating this way rather than in straight standard English. It’s also a great way to break the ice and have people quickly warm up to you.
There’s a perfect example of this which can be seen in the recent visit of Obama to Jamaica. He greeted the audience by asking “Wha Gwan Jamaica?” Watch the video below.
Listen to the applause from the crowd as Obama greets them.
The Jamaican Patois Dictionary
So just how do you speak like a Jamaican? Well, there’s no formal training or school course that you can take (at least not that I know of).
However, there’s a online dictionary (and I believe on Amazon – click here) which can help you to familiarize yourself with specific terms and phrases.
Here are some examples of common words and expressions which you’re likely to hear being used:
Weh – Where
Yu – You
Mi – Me
Gal – Girl
Caan – Can’t
Bwoy – Boy
Si dung – Sit down
Link mi – Slang suggesting come see me
Fi wha – For what?
Rawtid – expresses excitement
Yuh salt – to suggest bad luck
Bill bak – Relaxing/chilling
Bruck out – Misbehave
Ah Suh the Thing Set – That’s the way it is
This is by no means an exhaustive list (just a quick introduction). For more common phrases you can check out jamaicanpatwah.com which has a glossary of suggestions.
Or you can also watch this video which offers a good idea.
Common Jamaican Greetings
There’s also a difference in the way one Jamaican greets another using Jamaican Patwa.
For example, to say Good Morning, you say “Mawnin.” To say What’s Up, you say “Whe Yu Deh Pon?” or older folks would say “Yuh Alright?”
Here are some other standard greetings which you may encounter:
Wat a guh dung? – What’s happening
Whe yah deal wid? – What are you up to?
Inna d morrows – See you tomorrow
Hail up – To tell someone hi
If you ever get the chance to observe Jamaicans interacting you’ll hear these exchanges often. If two people that know each other are walking past one another, you’ll probably see a typical example of this.
Here’s some example sentences:
Person 1: Wha wan yuh good?
translation: What’s up are you?
Person 2: Yea Man, you?
translation: Yes I am, how about you?
Person 1: Yea mi deh ya
translation: Yes, I’m here
Person 2: Alright Likkle More
translation: Ok, see you later.
Compliments from a Jamaican Man
If you’re a woman walking the streets of Jamaica, be prepared to hear some pickup lines thrown your way.
It can be quite amusing (depending on how receptive you are and what’s said).
Here are some Jamaican Pick-Up examples:
Baby yuh look good eno
Mi ago want yuh eno
translation: I want to be with you.
Yow empress yu look good eno
translation: Miss, I like the way you look
Jah know baby, mi woulda deh wid yuh eno
translation: I would be with you
Of course, there’s also the more sexually suggestive remarks which I won’t include here but which you can fully expect to hear on the island too.
Jamaican Slang Insults
The dialect also has it’s own set of insults and curse words which you’re like to hear during a heated arguement.
Words like:
waste man – suggesting the other person is useless / of no use
booguyaga – also suggesting the other person is worthless
dunce bat – used to imply the other person is stupid
dutty gal – derogatory term for a female
The Jamaican bad words are also far and many. Personally, I haven’t derived an exact meaning for them (and I’m sure many people don’t know the precise meaning). It’s a deeply offensive insult however to hear any of the terms.
Examples:
Bombo-clawt
Blood-clawt
Just writing them makes me feel like I’m cursing at you, haha but for the purpose of this article, it was important that I highlight them.
By now you should have a somewhat better understanding of Jamaican creole. The country is filled with so much diversity and such a rich historical culture. Language adds into all that to make Jamaica one of the best in the Caribbean and the world. So next time you’re here, be sure to hail up someone and ask them “Wha Gwan!?”
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