Jamaican Patois words, A to Z

Every word and phrase taught in the course — 532 of them — with the Cassidy-JLU spelling next to it and what it means in English. The JLU column is worth reading even if you only want to speak: it is spelled the way it sounds, so it tells you the pronunciation the English spelling hides.

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Other

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
-a dan	-a dan	-er than (hotta dan, sweeta dan)	Hanover 28
...cyaan done	...kyaahn don	endlessly, no end to it	Clarendon 38
...gaan a bed	...gaan a bed	to the utmost, superlatively	Clarendon 38
...yu see!	...yu si!	emphatic tag: so!, really!	Clarendon 38
(to) raatid!	(tu) raatid!	wow!, mild expletive	Clarendon 39

A

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
a	a	is/am/are (before nouns only)	St. Andrew 5
a (+ verb)	a (+ verb)	-ing marker: happening now	St. Andrew 6
A deh-so	A de-so	it's right there (that...)	Manchester 35
a door	a duor	outdoors, outside	Kingston 4
a farin	a farin	abroad, overseas	Kingston 4
A fi mi dat	A fi mi dat	that one is MINE	Manchester 35
a fu who?	a fu uu?	whose is it?	Kingston 3
a go	a go	going to (future marker)	St. Ann 17
a hot mi	a hat mi	is hurting me	Trelawny 22
A lie!	A lai!	no way! that's a lie!	Manchester 35
a likkle someting	a likl somting	a little money (remittance, said modestly)	Farin 46
A mi tell im	A mi tel im	it was ME who told him	Manchester 35
A no joke	A no juok	it's no joke, seriously	Manchester 35
A run im a run	A ron im a ron	he is really RUNNING	Manchester 35
a so im tan	a so im tan	that's just how he/she is	Hanover 26
a Sunday	a Sonde	on Sundays	Westmoreland 31
A tief dem tief i	A tiif dem tiif i	they STOLE it	Manchester 35
a true weh dem seh	a chuu we dem se	it's true what they say	St. Catherine 41
a true?	a chuu?	is it true?	St. Ann 18
A wa dat?	A wa dat?	WHAT is that?	Manchester 35
a who	a uu	who (is it)	Kingston 2
a who dis?	a uu dis?	who is this?	St. Catherine 44
A who do i?	A huu du i?	WHO did it?	Manchester 35
a yaad	a yaad	at home; in Jamaica	St. Andrew 7
A yu do i?	A yu du i?	was it YOU who did it?	Manchester 35
afta dat	afta dat	after that	St. Ann 19
aiee!	aii!	ouch!; cry of pain or surprise	Clarendon 39
always	aalwiez	always	Westmoreland 31
an perhaps not!	an praps nat!	formula close: and perhaps you will not (guess it)	Clarendon 40
Anancy	Anansi	Anansi, the trickster spider of folk tales	Clarendon 40
aready	aredi	already	St. Elizabeth 32
at laas	at laas	at last	St. Ann 19
aunty	aanti	auntie (any elder woman)	St. Thomas 10

B

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
baan	baan	born	Farin 45
baby-faada	biebi-faada	father of one's child	St. Elizabeth 34
baby-madda	biebi-mada	mother of one's child	St. Elizabeth 34
back a yaad	bak a yaad	back home in Jamaica	Farin 45
backfoot!	bakfut!	mild expletive, steam-valve	Clarendon 39
bada	bada	bother	Trelawny 20
badda dan	bada dan	tougher/worse than	Hanover 28
bade	bied	bathe	Westmoreland 31
bammy	bami	cassava flatbread	Portland 12
banana walk	banaana waak	banana grove	Westmoreland 30
barrel	baril	shipping barrel of goods sent home	Farin 46
baton	batan	relay baton	Trelawny 21
beg yu	beg yu	please (lit. I beg you)	St. Thomas 10
believe	biliiv	believe	St. Ann 18
belly	beli	stomach; pregnancy	Trelawny 22
belly full	beli ful	satisfied, full	Portland 12
berrin	berin	burial, funeral	St. Elizabeth 34
bex	beks	angry, vexed	Hanover 27
bickle	bikl	food, victuals	Portland 12
big man	big man	grown man; respectful 'sir'	St. Andrew 7
big up	big op	respect!, shout-out	Kingston 1
big up yuself	big op yuself	respect, take care of yourself	Farin 46
blam!	blam!	slam, bang	Clarendon 39
bless / bless up	bles / bles op	goodbye, blessings	St. Catherine 43
blouse an skirt!	blouz an skort!	exclamation of surprise (safe)	Clarendon 39
bly	blai	a chance, a favour	St. Thomas 10
boasie	buosi	proud, show-off	Hanover 27
boonoonoonous	buunuunuunos	wonderful, delightful	Clarendon 38
boss	baas	friendly address for a man	St. Andrew 7
boundary	bounjri	cricket boundary (four/six)	Trelawny 21
braata	braata	a little extra thrown in	St. Mary 15
braps!	braps!	suddenly; sound of an abrupt happening	Clarendon 39
Bredda Anancy	Breda Anansi	Brother Anancy, the spider trickster	St. Ann 19
bredrin	bredrin	close friend (male)	St. Andrew 7
bredrin / sistren	bredrin / sischrin	close friend(s)	Farin 47
breeze	briiz	wind, breeze	Portland 13
bring come	bring kom	bring (here, toward me)	Westmoreland 29
broken English	bruokn English	old put-down name for Patwa — it is NOT broken; it is a language	Farin 47
bruk	brok	broke, broken	St. Mary 14
bruk di record	brok di rekaad	break the record	Trelawny 21
buck up	bok op	meet by chance	St. Mary 14
buff!	bof!	thud of something heavy falling	Clarendon 39
bunch a banana	bonch a banaana	bunch of bananas	Clarendon 40
bus park	bos paak	bus/taxi depot	St. James 25
bush	bush	countryside, woods	Portland 13
bush tea	bush tii	herbal tea	Westmoreland 31
buss weh	bos we	take off, burst away	Trelawny 21
buy	bai	buy	St. Andrew 6
bwile	bwail	boil	Portland 12
bwile dung	bwail dong	boil down, reduce	St. Elizabeth 33
bwoy	bwai	boy	Portland 11

C

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
cane piece	kien piis	sugar-cane field	Westmoreland 30
cerace	serasi	bitter medicinal tea vine	Trelawny 22
chaka-chaka	chaka-chaka	messy, disorderly	Clarendon 38
chat	chat	talk, chat	St. Andrew 6
chat patwa	chat patwa	speak Patois	St. Andrew 7
chat proper	chat prapa	speak formally	St. Catherine 42
chati-chati	chati-chati	talks too much	Clarendon 38
chicken merry, hawk deh near	chikin meri, aak de nier	in happiest times, stay watchful	St. Catherine 41
cho!	cho!	mild impatience or disgust (safe)	Clarendon 39
chop bush	chap bush	clear land	Westmoreland 30
chorus	kuoras	lively short worship song	Manchester 37
chuch	choch	church	Manchester 37
chups	chops	the kiss-teeth sound written down	Clarendon 39
clear (i)	klier (i)	get it through customs	Farin 46
cock	kak	rooster	Clarendon 40
cock mout kill cock	kak mout kil kak	your own talk destroys you	St. Catherine 41
col'	kuol	cold	St. Andrew 5
come	kom	come	St. Andrew 6
come een like	kom iin laik	seem as if (Yu come een like yu tiyad — you seem tired)	Hanover 26
come tell	kom tel	come and tell	Westmoreland 29
come ya	kom ya	come here	St. Thomas 10
cook	kuk	cook	St. Andrew 6
cotch	kach	rest, perch a while	St. Thomas 10
coulda	kuda	could (have)	Trelawny 20
country peppa	konchri pepa	scotch bonnet pepper	St. Elizabeth 33
cousin	kozn	cousin (near or distant)	St. Elizabeth 34
credit	kredit	phone credit	Farin 46
cris	kris	crisp	St. Elizabeth 33
cris'	kris	brand-new, sharp-looking (same word as 'everyting criss' — fine AND brand-new)	St. Andrew 5
crop / reap	krap / riip	to harvest	Westmoreland 30
cross fram	kraas fram	across from	St. James 25
crow	kruo	to crow (rooster's call)	Clarendon 40
csl	csl	cyaan stop laugh	St. Catherine 43
cutliss	kotlis	machete	Westmoreland 30
cyaan	kyaahn	can't	St. Thomas 8
cyaan come out	kyaahn kom out	cannot come out	Clarendon 40
cyaan done	kyaahn don	endlessly, beyond measure	Trelawny 21

D

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
dark	daak	shy	Hanover 27
dash een	dash iin	throw in, add	Portland 12
dat	dat	that	Kingston 2
dat deh	dat de	that one there	Portland 11
day-wuk	die-wok	daily-paid labour	Manchester 36
dead-yaad	ded-yaad	home of the deceased during mourning	St. Elizabeth 34
dear	dier	expensive	St. Mary 15
dege-dege	dege-dege	measly, tiny	Clarendon 38
deh	de	to be (in a place)	Kingston 4
deh deh	de de	is there (verb + adverb)	St. Elizabeth 32
deh-so	de-so	right there	Kingston 4
dem	dem	they, them, their	Kingston 3
dem deh	dem de	those (there)	Portland 11
dem seh	dem se	people say	St. Ann 18
dem ya	dem ya	these (here)	Portland 11
den	den	then	St. Mary 16
di bes	di bes	the best	Hanover 28
di bigges	di bigis	the biggest	Hanover 28
di fassis	di faasis	the fastest	Hanover 28
di line	di lain	the finish line	Trelawny 21
di mango-dem	di manggo-dem	the mangoes	Portland 11
di moral	di maral	the moral, the lesson	St. Catherine 41
did	did	past marker (did go = went)	St. Mary 14
did a	did a	was/were (equative past)	St. Andrew 5
dis	dis	this	Kingston 2
dis ya	dis ya	this one here	Portland 11
djew rain	juu rien	drizzle	Portland 13
dmst	dmst	dat mi seh to (that's what I'm saying too)	St. Catherine 43
do, mi a beg yu	du, mi a beg yu	please, I'm begging you	St. Thomas 10
docta	dakta	doctor	St. Andrew 5
dolla	dala	dollar(s)	St. Mary 15
don	don	already, completely (before verb)	St. Elizabeth 32
don'	duon	don't (habitual)	St. Thomas 8
done	don	finish	St. Ann 17
donkya	dongkya	careless (don't-care)	Hanover 27
drap	jrap	drop	Trelawny 21
draw	jraa	one's turn to collect the pardna pot	Manchester 36
drop one proverb	jrap wan provob	deliver a proverb	St. Catherine 41
du	du	do	Kingston 2
dung deh	dong de	down there	Kingston 4
dung so	dong so	down there	St. James 25
dunza	donza	money (slang)	St. Mary 15
duppy hour	dopi owa	midnight	St. Mary 16
dutchy	dochi	round-bottom cooking pot	Portland 12
duty	juuti	customs charge	Farin 46
dweet	dwiit	do it	St. James 23
dwl	dwl	dead wid laugh (LOL)	St. Catherine 43

E

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
ee?	ii?	tag: eh? right?	St. Thomas 9
en	en	older rural past marker	St. Mary 14
en fi	en fi	was supposed to	Trelawny 20
escovitch	eskovich	fried fish in spicy vinegar pickle	St. Elizabeth 33
evenin	iivnin	late afternoon into evening	St. Mary 16
everyting criss	evriting kris	everything's fine	Kingston 1
evri day	evri die	every day	Westmoreland 31
evri maanin	evri maanin	every morning	Westmoreland 31

F

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
faama	faama	farmer	St. Andrew 5
facety	fiesti	impudent, rude	Hanover 27
fambily	fambili	family	Farin 45
fambily line	fambili lain	lineage, ancestry	Farin 45
farin	farin	abroad, overseas (foreign)	Farin 45
fas	fas	nosy, meddling (yu too fas!)	Hanover 27
fass	faas	fast	Trelawny 21
fayva	fieva	resemble; seem	Hanover 26
fayva like	fieva laik	it looks as if	Portland 13
feed di fowl dem	fiid di foul dem	feed the chickens	Westmoreland 31
fenneh	fene	feel faint	Trelawny 22
festival	festival	sweet fried dumpling	Portland 12
fi	fi	should, supposed to	Trelawny 20
fi dem	fi dem	theirs	Kingston 3
fi mi	fi mi	mine, my own	Kingston 3
fi mi own	fi mi uon	my own, mine	Kingston 3
fi wi	fi wi	ours	Kingston 3
fi yu	fi yu	yours	Kingston 3
figet	figet	forget	St. Mary 14
fit	fit	full-grown, ready to pick	Westmoreland 30
fling one	fling wan	pose a riddle	Clarendon 40
fool-fool	fuul-fuul	silly, foolish	Clarendon 38
foot	fut	foot, leg	Trelawny 22
forward	faawad	come, arrive (urban)	St. Catherine 42
fowl	foul	chicken	Westmoreland 30
fraid	fried	afraid	Hanover 27
fraidi-fraidi	friedi-friedi	timid	Clarendon 38
fram maanin	fram maanin	all day, since morning	Westmoreland 31
freshwata Yankee	freshwaata Yanki	a Jamaican who puts on an American accent	Farin 47
from	fram	since	St. Mary 14
from maanin	fram maanin	all day long	St. Mary 16
fry	frai	fry	Portland 12
fus	fos	first	St. Ann 19

G

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
gaa	gaa	going to (go + a)	St. Andrew 6
gaan	gaan	gone, went away	St. Mary 14
gaan a bed	gaan a bed	superlatively (love i gaan a bed)	Hanover 28
galang	galang	go along	Hanover 26
get tru	get chuu	succeed, manage	Trelawny 20
gi	gi	give	St. James 23
gi mi a bly	gi mi a blai	give me a chance / break	St. James 23
glad-bag bus'	glad-bag bos	overjoyed	Hanover 27
go	go	go	St. Andrew 6
go look fi	go luk fi	go and visit	Westmoreland 29
goalie	guoli	goalkeeper	Trelawny 21
God bless yuh	Gad bles yu	God bless you	Manchester 37
granfada	granfaada	grandfather	Farin 45
grani / granfaada	grani / granfaada	grandmother / grandfather	St. Elizabeth 34
granny	grani	grandmother	Farin 45
great-granny	griet-grani	great-grandmother	Farin 45
grow	gruo	grow up; also raise (Granny grow mi — Granny raised me)	Farin 45
grung	grong	ground; farm plot	Kingston 4
gwaan	gwaan	go on; carry on; behave	Hanover 26
gwaan go	gwaan go	go on and (do something)	Westmoreland 29
gwaan so!	gwaan so!	keep it up! (praise or scolding, by tone)	Hanover 26
gwine	gwain	going to (older, emphatic)	St. Ann 17
gyal	gyal	girl	Portland 11

H

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
haad-iez	haad-iez	stubborn	Hanover 27
haffi	afi	have to, must	Trelawny 20
han	han	hand, arm	Trelawny 22
har	ar	her (object/possessive only)	Kingston 3
head-top	hed-tap	crown of the head	Trelawny 22
higgla	higla	market vendor	St. Andrew 5
higgling	higlin	informal street selling	Manchester 36
hitey-titey	haiti-taiti	high-toned, snobbish	St. Andrew 7
hou	ou	how	St. Thomas 9
hou di family stay?	ou di fambili stie?	how is the family?	St. Catherine 44
hou yu du?	ou yu du?	how are you?	Kingston 1
howdy	houdi	hello (older, rural, respectful)	Manchester 37
howdy an tanky no bruk no square	oudi an tangki no bruk no skwier	greetings and thanks cost nothing	St. Catherine 41
hush	hosh	there, there (sympathy — NOT be quiet)	Hanover 27
hussle	hosl	honest side earning, side business	Manchester 36

I

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
iez	iez	ear(s)	Trelawny 22
if God spare life	if Gad spier laif	God willing	St. Ann 17
ignorant	ignarant	quick-tempered (NOT stupid)	Hanover 27
im	im	he, she, him, his, her	Kingston 3
inna di end	iina di en	in the end	St. Ann 19
iz / is	iz / is	mesolect cleft marker (Is Pam eat di mango)	Manchester 35

J

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
janga	janga	river shrimp	Portland 12
jerk	jerk	season and smoke-grill	Portland 12

K

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
keep i up	kiip i op	keep it going, keep it alive	Farin 47
ketch	kech	catch	Trelawny 21
kibba	kiba	cover	St. James 23
kin	kin	skin	Trelawny 22
kin puppalick	kin popalik	turn somersaults (for joy)	Hanover 27
kiss mi neck!	kis mi nek!	exclamation of surprise (folksy, safe)	Clarendon 39
kmt	kmt	kiss mi teet (irritation)	St. Catherine 43
kyai go	kyai go	carry (away, to somewhere)	Westmoreland 29
kyai go bring come	kyai go bring kom	carry-go-bring-come; carrying gossip	Westmoreland 29
kyan	kyan	can	St. Thomas 8

L

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
labrish	labrish	gossip, friendly chat	St. Andrew 7
lata	lieta	later	St. Ann 17
Lawd a mercy!	Laad a maasi!	goodness!	Clarendon 39
leada	liida	leader	St. Andrew 5
lef	lef	leave	St. Andrew 6
lef dem	lef dem	leave them behind	Trelawny 21
lef i likkle fi mi	lef i likl fi mi	lower the price for me	St. James 24
lef mi	lef mi	leave me alone	St. Thomas 8
lef yaad	lef yaad	left Jamaica, emigrated	Farin 45
level	levl	equal, even	Hanover 28
lick	lik	hit, strike	Trelawny 21
licky-licky	liki-liki	greedy (for food)	Clarendon 38
lie	lai	lie	St. Ann 18
likkle	likl	little	Portland 11
likkle more	likl muor	see you later	Kingston 1
link mi	lingk mi	meet up with me, get in touch	St. Catherine 43
link up	lingk op	meet up, connect	Farin 47
long time	lang taim	for ages	St. Mary 14

M

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
ma	ma	ma'am	Kingston 1
maakit	maakit	market	Kingston 4
maanin	maanin	good morning	Kingston 1
maas	maas	respectful title for an older man	Kingston 2
Maas + name	Maas + niem	respectful title, older man	St. Elizabeth 34
mada tongue	mada tong	mother tongue	Farin 47
Mary-dem	Mary-dem	Mary and her crew	Portland 11
massive	masiv	the crew, the community (di yaadie massive a farin)	Farin 47
mek	mek	make; let; cause	St. James 23
mek money	mek moni	to earn money	Manchester 36
mek shi gwaan	mek shi gwaan	let her carry on	St. James 23
mek wi	mek wi	let's, let us	St. Thomas 10
mek wi go	mek wi go	let's go	St. James 23
memba	memba	remember	St. Mary 14
mi	mi	I, me, my	Kingston 3
mi a plan fi	mi a plan fi	I'm planning to	St. Catherine 44
mi deh ya	mi de ya	I'm here; I'm fine	Kingston 1
Mi deh ya, tank God	Mi de ya, tangk Gad	I'm fine, thank God	Manchester 37
mi deh yah	mi de ya	I'm here, I'm good	St. Catherine 43
mi faada have...	mi faada av...	my father has... (classic riddle frame)	Clarendon 40
mi fren	mi fren	my friend	Kingston 1
mi gi up	mi gi op	I give up	Clarendon 40
mi mind jus run pon yu	mi main jos ron pan yu	I was just thinking of you	St. Catherine 44
mi mind run pon yu	mi main ron pan yu	I was thinking of you	Farin 46
mighta	maita	might (have)	Trelawny 20
min'	main	mind, watch out	St. Thomas 10
miserable	miserable	fussy, hard fi please (false friend — not sad!)	Hanover 27
miss	mis	respectful title for a woman	Kingston 2
Miss + name	Mis + niem	respectful title, any woman	St. Elizabeth 34
mnl	mnl	mi naa laugh (I'm serious)	St. Catherine 43
money transfa	moni chransfa	money transfer, remittance service	Farin 46
moral	maral	the lesson of the story	St. Ann 19
more dan	muor dan	more than	Hanover 28
mout	mout	mouth	Trelawny 22
mus	mos	must	Trelawny 20
mussi	mosi	must be, probably	Trelawny 20

N

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
naa	naa	not (with -ing); refusing to	St. Thomas 8
naa go	naa go	not going to	St. Ann 17
nana	nana	grandma; (older use) midwife	St. Elizabeth 34
neck-back	nek-bak	nape of the neck	Trelawny 22
neva	neva	didn't (past negative)	St. Thomas 8
nex' week	neks wiik	next week	St. Ann 17
niem	niem	name; to be named	Kingston 2
nine-night	nain-nait	nine nights of wake gatherings	St. Elizabeth 34
no ... no deh	no ... no de	there is no ... (at all)	St. Elizabeth 32
no / nuh	no	not, don't (before verb)	St. Thomas 8
no badda	no bada	don't bother	St. Thomas 8
no fi	no fi	should not	Trelawny 20
no mus	no mos	of course!	St. Thomas 9
no mus!	no mos!	of course!	St. Catherine 44
nobody	nobadi	nobody	St. Thomas 8
noh?	no?	tag: won't you? / okay?	St. Thomas 9
nomo	nomuo	only (two nomo lef)	St. Elizabeth 32
none	non	none, any	St. Thomas 8
notn	notn	nothing	St. Thomas 8
nuff	nof	plenty, many	St. Andrew 5
nuh true?	no chuu?	tag: isn't that so?	St. Thomas 9
nung	nong	now	St. Mary 16
nuo	nuo	know (deep form)	St. Ann 18
nyam	nyam	eat	St. Andrew 6
nyam off mi credit	nyam aaf mi kredit	eat up my phone credit	St. Catherine 44

O

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
ole people seh	uol piipl se	the old folks say (proverb opener)	St. Catherine 41
omuch	omoch	how much, how many	St. Thomas 9
one stap	wan stap	next stop (to get off)	St. James 25
one time	wan taim	once; at once	St. Mary 16
one-one	wan-wan	one at a time	Clarendon 38
outta di whola	outa di uola	out of all of	Hanover 28
ova deh	uova de	over there	Kingston 4
ova deh-so	uova de-so	over there	St. James 25

P

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
Paasa	Paasa	Pastor (title of address)	Manchester 37
pardna	paadna	rotating savings circle	Manchester 36
pass i dung	paas i dong	pass it down (to the children)	Farin 47
pay dung pon	pie dong pan	make a down payment on	Manchester 36
pepper tree	pepa chrii	pepper plant	Clarendon 40
pickney	pikni	child	Portland 11
picky-picky	piki-piki	choosy, finicky	Clarendon 38
pimento	pimento	allspice	St. Elizabeth 33
plant	plaant	to plant	Westmoreland 30
pon road	pan ruod	out and about	St. Catherine 42
pop 'tory	pap tuori	tell the story, catch up	St. Ann 18
poun	poun	pound (weight)	St. Mary 15
powda milk	pouda milk	powdered milk — classic barrel item	Farin 46
prayer meetin	prieya miitn	midweek prayer meeting	Manchester 37
pretty	priti	pretty, beautiful	St. Andrew 5
proud a	proud a	proud of	Farin 45

R

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
rain a faal	rien a faal	it's raining	Westmoreland 30
rain a fall	rien a faal	it's raining	Portland 13
read yu audience	riid yu aadiyans	judge who you are talking to	St. Catherine 42
red-yai	red-yai	envious	Hanover 27
renk	rengk	cheeky, out of order	St. James 24
res	res	rest	Westmoreland 31
riddle mi dis, riddle mi dat	ridl mi dis, ridl mi dat	riddle me this, riddle me that (game opening)	Clarendon 40
riva	riva	river	Portland 13
road	ruod	street; out on the road	Kingston 4
roas	ruos	roast	Portland 12
robot	ruobat	unlicensed taxi	St. James 25
roots	ruuts	origins, heritage	Farin 45
route taxi	ruut taksi	shared taxi on a fixed route	St. James 25
run	ron	run	St. Andrew 6
run come	ron kom	come running, hurry over	Westmoreland 29
run gaan lef	ron gaan lef	ran off and left (behind)	Westmoreland 29
run-belly	ron-beli	diarrhea	Trelawny 22
run-dung	ron-dong	food cooked down in coconut milk	Portland 12
rundung	rondong	food cooked down in coconut milk	St. Elizabeth 33

S

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
sah	sa	sir	Kingston 1
sah / ma'am	sa / maam	sir / ma'am (polite address)	Manchester 37
salt	saal	broke, unlucky	St. Mary 15
saltfish	saalfish	salted cod	St. Elizabeth 33
same time	siem taim	at that very moment	St. Ann 19
sankey	sangki	old hymn (from the Sankey hymnal)	Manchester 37
sea rough	sii rof	the sea is rough	Portland 13
seen	siin	understood, agreed	Farin 47
seen?	siin?	tag: understood? got it?	St. Thomas 9
seh	se	say	Kingston 2
seh di grace	se di gries	say the blessing before food	Manchester 37
seh fi tell yu howdy	se fi tel yu oudi	said to tell you hello	St. Catherine 44
sen go call	sen go kaal	send for (someone)	Westmoreland 29
set-up	set-op	wake night of singing and sharing	St. Elizabeth 34
shame	shiem	embarrassed	Hanover 27
shap	shap	shop	Kingston 4
shat	shat	shot, to shoot	Trelawny 21
shi	shi	she	Kingston 3
shoulda	shuda	should (have)	Trelawny 20
si an blin, hear an deaf	si an blain, ier an def	discretion; mind your own business	St. Catherine 41
si God spare life	si Gad spier laif	God willing	Farin 46
sidung a evening time	sidong a iivnin taim	sit down in the evening	Clarendon 40
sinting	sitn	something	Kingston 2
sistren	sischrin	close friend (female)	St. Andrew 7
skellion	skelyan	scallion	St. Elizabeth 33
slide	slaid	shift along the continuum	St. Catherine 42
smadi	sumadi	somebody	Kingston 2
small up unuself	smaal op unuself	squeeze up, make room	St. James 25
smalls	smaalz	small change, a tip	St. Mary 15
smh	smh	shake mi head	St. Catherine 43
so till	so til	extremely, beyond words	Hanover 28
so-so	so-so	only, nothing but	Clarendon 38
soon come	suun kom	coming soon (elastic time!)	St. Andrew 6
soon-a-maanin	suun-a-maanin	early in the morning	Westmoreland 31
speaky-spoky	spiiki-spuoki	affectedly 'proper' English	St. Catherine 42
spring	spring	sprouted, spoiled (of yam, corn)	Westmoreland 30
star	staar	friend (street address term)	St. Andrew 7
stoosh	stuush	posh, stuck-up	St. Andrew 7
storm a come	staam a kom	a storm is coming	Portland 13
story done	tuori don	the end	St. Ann 19
straight so	schriet so	straight ahead	St. James 25
strong	schrang	strong	St. Andrew 5
su-su	su-su	whisper, gossip	St. Ann 18
sun hot	son at	the sun is blazing	Portland 13
Sunday clothes	Sonde kluoz	one's church best	Manchester 37
sweep di yaad	swiip di yaad	sweep the yard	Westmoreland 31
sweet	swiit	sweet, delicious	St. Andrew 5
sweet yu see!	swiit yu si!	it's SO good!	Hanover 28
switch up	swich op	change register, code-switch	Farin 47

T

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
taak	taak	talk, speech	St. Andrew 7
talawa	talawa	small but strong, fearless	Hanover 27
tan	tan	stay; be (of character)	Hanover 26
tan deh	tan de	wait there, stay there	St. Thomas 10
tan tedy	tan tedi	hold still	Hanover 26
tank God	tangk Gad	thank God	Kingston 1
tap / 'top	tap / top	stop	St. Thomas 8
tarra-warra	tara-wara	polite stand-in for omitted bad words	Clarendon 39
tata	tata	venerable old man (respectful)	St. Thomas 10
teacha	tiicha	teacher	St. Andrew 5
teet	tiit	teeth	Trelawny 22
tek	tek	take	St. James 23
tek ... go gi	tek ... go gi	take ... and give to	Westmoreland 29
tek heart	tek haat	take heart, be comforted	St. Elizabeth 34
tek i gi im	tek i gi im	take it and give it to him	St. James 23
tek kin-teet kibba heart bun	tek kin-tiit kiba aat bon	a smile covers a burning heart	St. Catherine 41
tek time	tek taim	go easy, carefully	St. Thomas 10
tell	tel	tell	St. Ann 18
tell everybody howdy	tel evribadi oudi	greet everyone for me	St. Catherine 44
Tell evrybody howdy fi mi	Tel evribadi houdi fi mi	greet everyone at home for me	Manchester 37
tideh	tide	today	St. Mary 16
time longer dan rope	taim langga dan ruop	patience; time settles everything	St. Catherine 41
tin a mackerel	tin a makrel	tin of mackerel	St. Mary 15
ting	ting	thing	Kingston 2
tings salt	tingz saal	times are hard	St. James 24
tink	tingk	think	St. Ann 18
tiyad	taiyad	tired	St. Andrew 5
tousan	touzan	thousand	St. Mary 15
trouble no set like rain	chobl no set laik rien	misfortune comes without warning	St. Catherine 41
trow een	chuo iin	throw in	St. James 24
trow pardna	chuo paadna	pay into the pardna	Manchester 36
tumaro	tumaro	tomorrow	St. Mary 16
tun	ton	turn, stir	Portland 12
tun big man	ton big man	become a grown man	Hanover 26
tun lef	ton lef	turn left	St. James 25
tun right	ton rait	turn right	St. James 25
tung	tong	town, downtown	Kingston 4
twang	twang	speak with a foreign (English/American) accent	Farin 47
two twos	tuu tuuz	in a flash	St. Mary 16
two-three	tuu-chrii	a few	St. Mary 15
two-tree	tuu-chrii	a few, two or three	St. James 24

U

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
unu	unu	you (plural), you all	Kingston 3

V

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
vinega	vinega	vinegar	St. Elizabeth 33

W

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
wa / wha	wa	what	Kingston 2
wa day	wa die	the other day	St. Mary 14
wa mek	wa mek	why (lit. what makes)	St. Thomas 9
waan	waahn	want	Kingston 2
wagwan	wa gwaan	what's going on; hi (also wah gwaan, waguan)	St. Catherine 43
wah gwaan	wa gwaan	what's up, what's going on	Kingston 1
wake	wiek	wake up	Westmoreland 31
walk	waak	walk	St. Andrew 6
walk good	waak gud	travel safely, goodbye	Kingston 1
Walk good, yaa	Waak gud, yaa	goodbye, travel safely (warm)	Manchester 37
wash	wash	wash	St. Andrew 6
wat a crosses!	wat a kraasiz!	what a trial!	Clarendon 39
wbu	wbu	wah bout yuh? (what about you?)	St. Catherine 43
weddn	wedn	wedding	St. Elizabeth 34
weed out	wiid out	to weed	Westmoreland 30
weh	we	where	Kingston 4
well	wel	very (well hungry = very hungry)	Clarendon 38
well + adj	wel + adj	very (well sweet)	Hanover 28
wet up	wet op	soaked	Portland 13
wha day tideh?	wa die tide?	what day is it today?	St. Mary 16
wharf	waaf	the docks, where barrels land and clear customs	Farin 46
whatlef	watlef	leftovers	St. Elizabeth 32
when	wen	when	St. Thomas 9
which paat	wich paat	where, whereabouts	St. Thomas 9
who di cap fit, mek dem wear i	uu di kyap fit, mek dem wier i	if the cap fits, wear it	St. Catherine 41
wi	wi	we, us, our	Kingston 3
wi aright, tank God	wi aarait, tangk Gad	we're fine, thank God	St. Catherine 44
wicket drop	wikit jrap	a wicket falls	Trelawny 21
wiish!	wiish!	whoosh of swift movement	Clarendon 39
wooda	wuda	would (have)	Trelawny 20
wuk	wok	work	St. Andrew 6

Y

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
ya-so	ya-so	right here	Kingston 4
yaa	yaa	tag: you hear (warm)	St. Thomas 9
yaad	yaad	home, yard	Kingston 4
yaadie	yaadi	a Jamaican — someone of yard	Farin 45
yai	yai	eye	Trelawny 22
yam hill	yam hil	yam mound	Westmoreland 30
yeri	yeri	hear (older form)	St. Ann 18
yeside	yeside	yesterday	St. Mary 14
yk	yk	yuh know	St. Catherine 43
yout	yuut	young person	St. Andrew 7
yow	yo	yo (street greeting)	St. Catherine 42
yu / yuh	yu	you, your	Kingston 3
yu cyaan miss i	yu kyaahn mis i	you can't miss it	St. James 25
yu fayva yu muma	yu fieva yu muma	you look just like your mother	Hanover 26
yu hear seh...?	yu ier se...?	did you hear that...?	St. Catherine 44
yuh waan hear?	yu waahn ier?	do you want to hear?	St. Ann 19

Z

Patois	Cassidy-JLU	English	Taught in
zeen	ziin	understood, cool, agreed	St. Catherine 43

By parish

• Words from Kingston
• Words from St. Andrew
• Words from St. Thomas
• Words from Portland
• Words from St. Mary
• Words from St. Ann
• Words from Trelawny
• Words from St. James
• Words from Hanover
• Words from Westmoreland
• Words from St. Elizabeth
• Words from Manchester
• Words from Clarendon
• Words from St. Catherine
• Words from Farin