Sweet As Kiwi Slang

One really fun thing about coming to New Zealand has been learning about all the fun Kiwi words and phrases. A lot of words stem from British terminology, while others are Maori and others are uniquely Kiwi. I really enjoy learning the many different terms that Kiwis use, and am beginning to use them myself! The following words and phrases are what I have gathered in the past few months that I've been in New Zealand.

Let's start with the word Kiwi itself:

The word Kiwi can be used to describe three different things, the kiwi fruit, the kiwi bird that is unique to New Zealand (and very rare to see), or a New Zealand local. Most of the time when I say Kiwi, I am referring to a New Zealand local.

Sweet as! - Possibly one of the most common Kiwi sayings. It means awesome. You can also add on the word "as" to pretty much any adjective to describe it as being extreme. For example, "That guy is rude as!" "That boat is big as." "Cool as."

Muesli - (pronounced mew-sli) is granola. I once asked a grocery clerk where the granola bars were and she looked at me like I was crazy, until finally I said, "Whoops I mean muesli bars." Muesli is very popular for breakfast.

"It's alright"- means "you're welcome". I have yet to hear anyone say, "you're welcome" here, yet I can't break the habit and still say it after anyone at the cafe says thank you.

Togs - a swimming suit. I found this term quite amusing and asked why it was always plural; the answer I received was because since the sun is so powerful in New Zealand, children especially wear two pieces of swim wear to protect them from the sun. "Have you got your togs? We're off to the beach for a BBQ."

Plunger Coffee - coffee made in a French press. This one really made me laugh when I first came here, but now I use the term all the time and it seems very normal. Because honestly, the contraption Americans refer to as a "French Press" makes way more sense to be called a "plunger."

Coffee in itself can be an entire topic alone. New Zealand coffee is very much different than American coffee. I remember my first encounter into a coffee shop in Auckland. I asked for a coffee and the lady behind the counter asked what kind I wanted... I stupidly looked at the board and tried to decipher the difference between a short black, a long black, a flat white, and an americano. Now that I work as a barista it really makes me laugh because I see people have the exact same look on their face as I did when I was looking for a plain cup of coffee. But the thing is, plain coffee (what Americans know it as) doesn't exist here. Everything is espresso based and unless you want a long black (which definitely tastes different than American "drip coffee" as it's called), you are going for a coffee that is 80% milk (flat white, latte, and cappuccino). What I find quite humorous is that Kiwis think American "drip coffee" is revolting and Americans in New Zealand just want a dang cup of plain DRIP COFFEE. Working as a barista, I find this whole coffee fiasco quite entertaining. And I can't help but say, I am definitely looking forward to a regular cup of dang good American drip coffee when I come home for Christmas.

"Good on you" - a term Kiwis use in a variety of ways. Generally it is said in response to a good story or something good that happens to a person. Example: "l just had the floors replaced in my house." "Good on you!"

Zed - is the letter Z. So the alphabet is A to Zed, not A to Z. The abbreviation NZ for New Zealand is said N Zed. ANZ Bank is A N Zed bank. I once had a lady at work spell her name to me and I repeated it back Z, E, L, L, Y and she corrected me and said, "No ZED, E, L, L, Y"

N Zed!

Lollies - candy. And this doesn't mean a mere lollipop; the term "lollies" means any type of sweet imaginable. It's extremely cute when said by a little kid, "Daddy can I have a lolli?"

"Taking the Mickey" - a term I learned from one of my co-workers, which he had trouble explaining but basically means "teasing". "Oh I'm just taking the mickey with you Abby."

Trousers vs. pants - Most people say trousers when referring to "pants" (an article of clothing that covers your legs). Pants generally mean underpants, especially for men.

Jandals - flip-flops. Also, Kiwis seem to wear jandals in any type of way, in any type of weather. I've seen jandals and socks on a freezing cold day many times. "Nice jandals bro."

Here is a picture of me in jandals with socks - and I'm not even ashamed of it.

Capsicum - a pepper. If you go to a New Zealand grocery store and are looking for a bell pepper, know that it is called a capsicum.

Jumper - Basically any type of jacket/coat/hoodie that keeps you warm. "It looks a bit rainy out there, have you got your jumper?"

"No worries" - Another term used instead of saying "You're welcome."

Ta - A very short way of saying thank you. It took me forever to figure out what people were saying at the cafe, after taking their order. I finally figured out they were telling me thank you!

Muppet - an idiot. If you get called a muppet, the person is not giving you a cute Kermit the Frog nickname. It's an insult.

Chips are french fries and chips are crisps. Haha. Sometimes people also call chips chips, but fries HOT chips.

Biscuit - cookie. "Your chocolate chip biscuits are delicious!" I have no idea what they call actual biscuits. I don't think they exist over here.

"I have to go to the toilet" - This is one phrase that for the life of me, I just cannot get used to. It sounds so rude to me to say, "I have to go to the toilet." I see how the phrase is very practical since "Going to the bathroom" doesn't mean you're taking a bath. However I think I will stick to saying bathroom instead of naming the fixture I'm about to do my business in.

In case you forgot how to use the toilet, here is a nice visual for you.

Dairy - a traditional corner shop that sells anything from ice-cream to newspapers, to noodles, and of course Lotto tickets.

"She'll be right." - It will all work out in the end.

Tramp - a hike. "Let's go tramp this mountain."

Wop Wops - the middle of nowhere. "Where were you this weekend?" "Out in the wop wops."

Gumboots - rain boots or muck boots. I learned that the reason they are called gum boots is because they are the types of boots that were worn

Sorted - a word that is used in a variety of ways during a variety of circumstances, which basically means get it figured out or get it accomplished. Example: "Kids, get your room sorted out." "Alright, I need to get this paperwork sorted."

Shattered - a word to describe yourself when you're absolutely exhausted. "I had a long day, I'm completely shattered."

Cheers - one of my favorite Kiwi phrases that I've adopted. Cheers is a very cheery way of saying thank you.

I hope you had fun reading some of the fun Kiwi slang that I've been learning about the past few months. Cheers!