Pronunciation
Each headword carries a stress-marked spelling so you can hear the rhythm, not just read the gloss.
Jamaican Creole lexicon
Jamaican Patois Dictionary
Meanings, pronunciations, and examples for Patwa words, street slang, and dancehall expressions — built as a lexicon, not a phrasebook.
- Gloss
- "Going to"
- Definition
- Used to indicate future tense or intention, similar to 'going to' in English.
- Example
- "Mi a go to di shop." — "I am going to the store."
- Origin
- Derived from English 'going to'.
- Register
- Everyday
- grammatical
- Related
- Bout fi
- Gloss
- "Ackee (Fruit)"
- Definition
- Jamaica's national fruit. Poisonous if eaten before fully ripe, typically cooked with saltfish.
- Example
- "Mi a eat ackee and saltfish."
- Origin
- West African (Akan 'akye fufuo').
- Register
- Culinary
- everyday
- Related
- Saltfish
- Gloss
- "Intense pleasure / Dancing"
- Definition
- Intense physical exertion, often used to describe energetic dancing or sexual performance in dancehall culture.
- Example
- "Watch how she a give him agony on di dancefloor."
- Origin
- Standard English adapted to dancehall slang.
- Register
- Dancehall
- informal
- Gloss
- "Is that so?"
- Definition
- An expression of confirmation or agreement; 'that is how it is.'
- Example
- "Ah-so it go, bredda."
- Origin
- Contraction of 'is it so'.
- Register
- Everyday
- conversational
- Related
- So it go
- Gloss
- "Leave it alone"
- Definition
- To let something go, ignore a provocation, or permit something to happen.
- Example
- "Just allow-it, nuh make a scene."
- Origin
- English 'allow it'.
- Register
- Everyday
- conversational
- Related
- Leave it · Tan
- Gloss
- "Spider trickster"
- Definition
- A clever spider character from traditional folklore who uses his wit to outsmart larger animals.
- Example
- "Him cunning like Anansi."
- Origin
- Akan folklore from West Africa.
- Register
- Folklore
- cultural
- Related
- Ginnal · Trickster
- Gloss
- "Angel"
- Definition
- An angel; often used affectionately or in religious contexts.
- Example
- "She sleep like a anjo."
- Origin
- Patois pronunciation of 'angel'.
- Register
- Everyday
- standard Patois
- Related
- Angel
- Gloss
- "Not at all"
- Definition
- Used to emphasize a negative statement; absolutely not.
- Example
- "Mi nuh like dat at-all."
- Origin
- English 'at all'.
- Register
- Everyday
- conversational
- Related
- Neva
- Gloss
- "Police / System"
- Definition
- The police, the government, or any oppressive system.
- Example
- "Babylon a come, move fast." — "The police are coming, move fast."
- Origin
- Rastafarian term referencing the biblical city of Babylon.
- Register
- Informal
- Rastafarian
- Related
- System · Beast
- Gloss
- "Sass / Talk back"
- Definition
- To reply disrespectfully to an elder or person in authority.
- Example
- "Nuh give mi nuh back-answer."
- Origin
- Compound of 'back' and 'answer'.
- Register
- Everyday
- disciplinary
- Related
- Lippy · Disrespect
- Gloss
- "Dance move"
- Definition
- A command or dance move where a person (usually female) pushes her buttocks backward while dancing.
- Example
- "Back-it-up on di dancefloor."
- Origin
- Descriptive action.
- Register
- Dancehall culture
- Gloss
- "Back off / Retreat"
- Definition
- To retreat, move backward, or step away from a situation.
- Example
- "Make we back-we from di trouble."
- Origin
- Patois grammar.
- Register
- Informal
- Related
- Move
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About the Jamaican Patois Dictionary
This lexicon is a companion to our Jamaican Patois to English translator. Use the translator for full sentences; use this page when you want the headword, the sound of it, and where the expression sits in Jamaican speech. New to the language altogether? Start with our What Is Jamaican Language? explainer.
Register
Chips split everyday talk from dancehall slang, Rastafari usage, and stronger language so you know when a word belongs.
Etymology
Short origin notes flag English shifts, onomatopoeia, and West African or descriptive roots behind the form.
Jamaican Patois grew out of contact during the plantation era: English vocabulary meeting grammar and sound patterns from Akan and other West African languages, with later Spanish, Portuguese, and Arawak traces. It is the language of markets, yards, reggae, and dancehall — not a broken dialect waiting to be corrected.
Entries here keep part of speech, related headwords, and example lines in Patwa so you can move from a single word into the rest of the lexicon. Stronger or insulting registers stay in the index (they are part of the language) but are kept out of featured spots such as Patwa of the day.