If you’re feeling like travelling to the country that is the furtherest away from pretty much anywhere else, than New Zealand is great to visit. The people there are friendly (even to Australians), the scenery is spectacular, and if you like sheep, it’s paradise! It’s just not only the place where The Lord of The Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit were filmed.
And today’s post is about a bit of New Zealand Slang! Yeah bro!
So what are some funny examples of New Zealand (Kiwi) Slang and Colloquialisms?
Pug – large pink animal with a curly tail
Duck head – an idiot
Fush and chups – fish and chips
Guess – gas
Sex – the number six
You can check out some of my silly New Zealand Travel Tips that I’ve experienced myself, but the thing that you will need most help with is how to actually understand the unusual accent that New Zealanders have. And it’s even more weird than the Australian one!
The New Zealand accent can vary throughout the country. I’ve heard some accents that sound almost Australian, and then I’ve come across some extremely strong ones that have almost required subtitles. Even native English speakers like myself can find the accent difficult to understand, let alone, visitors where English is their second language.
The main issue is that the pronunciations can be very different. For example, the following letters are pronounced the following way:
- ‘e’ is sounds like ‘i’
- ‘a’ sounds like ‘e’. Or sometimes like ‘i’, or ‘u’
- ‘i’ sounds like ‘u’
- Many sentences can end with ‘bro’
Let me explain below with some real life examples.
Some Kiwi Slang – New Zealand Travel Tips on How to Speak like one bro!
HOW TO SPEAK NEW ZEALANDER AND KIWI SLANG: FOR BIST EFICT, RID THESE OUT ALOUD!
- Milburn – capital of Victoria in Australia (Melbourne)
- Peck – to fill a suitcase with clothes
- Pissed aside – chemical which kills insects
- Pigs – for hanging out washing with on the clothes line
- Pump – to act as agent for prostitute
- Pug – large pink animal with a curly tail
- Nin tin dough – computer game
- Munner stroney – soup, Italian style
- Min – male of the species
- Mess kara – eye makeup mainly used by women and drag queens
- Mckennock – person who fixes cars for a living
- Mere – Mayor (of a local council)
- Leather – foam produced from soap when mixed with water
- Lift – departed
- Kiri Pecker – famous Australian businessman (Kerry Packer)
- Kittle crusps – potato chips
- Ken’s – Cairns (in far north Australia)
- Jumbo – pet name for someone called Jim
- Jungle Bills – famous Christmas carol sung by children
- Inner me – enemy
- Guess – vapour
- Fush – marine creatures that you eat
- Fush and Chips – marine creatures with potato fries
- Fitter cheney – type of pasta
- Ever cardeau – avocado
- Fear hear – blonde
- Ear – mix of nitrogen and oxygen present in the atmosphere
- Ear roebucks – form of exercise at the gym
- Duffy cult – not easy
- Amejen – visualise, title of famous John Lennon song
- Day old chuck – very young poultry
- Bug hut – popular recording for musician
- Bun button – been bitten by insect
- Beard – a place to sleep at the end of a long day
- Chully Bun – Esky or cooler box
- Sucks Peck – Half a dozen beers
- Ear New Zulland – an airline
- Beers – large furry savage animals found in north American forests
- Veerjun – mythical New Zealand maiden
- One Doze – well known computer program
- Duck Head – a complete idiot
- Sex – one less than sivven
- Iggs Ecktly – Precisely
- Beggage Chucken – place to leave your suitcase at the earport
Kiwi Slang & Expressions – Got More?
How about you? What New Zealand Travel Tips in relation to speaking like one can you dish out? Leave a comment below with your phrase!
See more at my crazy lists of British Slang, Irish Slang, Italian Swear Words, Russian Curse Words, Silly Australian Expressions, German Swear Words, Spanish Swear Words and French Swear Words.
Going to Aotearoa bro? Then check out some Backpackers Travel Insurance for New Zealand!
Haha I loved this – my boss, on the other hand, thinks I’m mental now x
That’s awesome… I think… 😉
I’m from new zealand and right now I am laughing my head off at these, don’t forget we say chur bro, yeah nah, we also say aye and oi a lot..we do have an accent and saying some of those words is really funny!!
Thanks bro! I’ll take a line from Flight of the Conchords – “New Zealand, It’s Almost Like Australia”… Love the quirky NZ sense of humour! Same but different….