These are 100 Patois words a learner meets constantly, grouped by what they do. Start with the grammar words: there are only about twenty, and they hold every sentence together. Each word links to its full dictionary entry with pronunciation, examples and usage notes.
Spellings follow everyday usage. Expect to see variants elsewhere.
Grammar words (22)
These small words do the work English does with verb endings and "is", "am" and "are". Learn them first. The grammar guide explains each in context.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mi | I, me, my |
| yuh | you, your (one person) |
| im | he, him, his; often she, her too |
| shi | she, her |
| wi | we, us, our (also "will" before a verb) |
| unnu | you all, your (more than one person) |
| dem | they, them, their; after a noun, makes it plural |
| di | the |
| a | marks an ongoing action; also "is" between nouns, "to", "at" and "of" |
| fi | for, to; shows ownership (fi mi = mine) |
| deh | to be (somewhere); there |
| did | past marker before a verb |
| ago | going to (future) |
| done | finished; before a verb, marks it as completed |
| nuh | not, don't; at the end of a question, "isn't it?" |
| neva | didn't (for a past event); never |
| cyaan | can't |
| haffi | have to, must |
| seh | say; also "that" after verbs like think and know |
| pon | on, upon |
| inna | in, inside |
| wid | with |
Dat a fi mi book.
That's my book.
Everyday words (16)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| likkle | little, small; a little |
| nuff | plenty, a lot; of a person, pushy or showy |
| ting | thing; also a situation or matter |
| everyting | everything |
| nutten | nothing |
| smaddy | somebody, a person |
| yaad | home, your house and yard; abroad, Jamaica itself |
| wuk | work |
| bare | only, nothing but (in London slang: lots of) |
| brawta | a little extra thrown in free, like a vendor's bonus |
| labrish | gossip, idle chat |
| su-su | gossip, whispering about people |
| yah so | right here, this very spot |
| gweh | go away (playful or serious, depending on tone) |
| massive | a crowd, crew or community of fans (big up di massive) |
| yardie | a Jamaican, someone from "yard"; in the UK also used, often negatively, for gangsters |
Mi ago back a yaad.
I'm going back home (to Jamaica).
People and family (15)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pickney | child, children (JLU: pikni) |
| yute | young person, youth |
| madda | mother |
| faada | father |
| mumma | mum, mama |
| puppa | dad, papa |
| granny | grandmother; also a respectful name for an old woman |
| bredda | brother; friendly address for any man |
| sista | sister; friendly address for a woman |
| bredrin | close friend, usually male |
| sistren | close female friend or friends |
| gyal | girl, young woman |
| bwoy | boy; to a grown man, can be belittling; as an exclamation, "boy!" |
| ooman | woman |
| baby madda | the mother of a man's child, usually not his wife |
Di pickney dem a play outside.
The children are playing outside.
Verbs (22)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nyam | eat; also, of food, delicious (Dis nyam!) |
| chat | talk, often too much; gossip |
| reason | talk things through, discuss at length |
| link | get in touch, meet up (link mi, call me) |
| reach | arrive, get somewhere |
| tek | take |
| mek | make; let (mek wi go, let's go) |
| memba | remember |
| siddung | sit down |
| badda | bother |
| fava | look like, resemble |
| lick | hit, strike |
| bruk | break; broken; broke (out of money) |
| dash | throw (dash weh, throw away) |
| ketch | catch |
| tief | steal; a thief |
| lef | leave; left |
| kibba | cover; a lid (kibba yuh mout, shut your mouth) |
| bawl | cry loudly; shout |
| braff | show off |
| dweet | do it |
| gwaan | go on, carry on; behave (how yuh gwaan so?) |
Mi jus reach a yard.
I just got home.
Describing words (14)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| facety | rude, cheeky, out of line (JLU: fiesti) |
| fass | nosy, meddling in other people's business |
| hard ears | stubborn, won't listen |
| mawga | thin, skinny |
| tallawah | strong and not to be underestimated, especially if small |
| stush | posh, upscale; stuck-up |
| bashy | stylish, flashy |
| criss | sharp, fresh, brand new; excellent |
| dutty | dirty |
| chaka-chaka | messy, disorganised |
| boonoonoonoos | wonderful, lovely; also an endearment |
| chupid | stupid |
| wutliss | worthless, good-for-nothing |
| ginnal | a con artist, trickster (a noun, but used like a description) |
Likkle but wi tallawah.
We're small but mighty.
Feelings (9)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| irie | good, content, all is well |
| vex | angry, annoyed |
| frighten | scared; surprised |
| fret | worry |
| sweet | enjoyable, great (of food, music, a party) |
| badmind | spiteful, begrudging other people's success |
| grudgeful | resentful, jealous of what others have |
| red eye | envious, greedy, always wanting what others have |
| crosses | trouble, bad luck |
Nuh get mi vex.
Don't make me angry.
Culture (2)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| duppy | ghost, spirit of the dead (JLU: dopi) |
| ital | natural, unprocessed food in the Rastafari tradition |
Where to go next
Words become useful once you can put them in sentences, so pair this list with the sentence structure guide. For phrases rather than single words, see common Jamaican expressions; for the kitchen, Jamaican food words; for slang, the slang guide. You can also browse the whole dictionary by category, such as feelings or family.
Questions people ask
What is the most common word in Jamaican Patois?
Nobody has published a reliable frequency count for Patois, but the grammar words are certainly the most frequent: mi, yuh, di, a, dem and nuh turn up in almost every conversation. Among content words, ting, nuff, likkle and pickney are extremely common.
Why are some Patois words spelled differently in different places?
Patois has no single everyday spelling. People write it the way it sounds to them, usually based on English spelling, so you'll see likkle, likl and lickle for the same word. This list uses common everyday spellings; each dictionary entry gives variants.
Are Patois words the same in London and Toronto?
Many are shared, because Jamaican speech shaped youth slang in both cities. But diaspora slang has its own words and meanings too. Bare, for example, means only or nothing but in Jamaica and has come to mean lots of in London slang.