Jamaica: Blog Series About local Jamaican life and culture
Welcome to our Jamaica blog post series that showcase Jamaican culture. During this series of posts, you will find photos and videos from our travels throughout Jamaican cities and towns. We will share information about Jamaican food, music, people, and events to give you a sense of local Jamaican life.
A bit about the Jamaican language
As an introduction to Jamaican culture, the first thing to know is that Jamaicans speak English. Their English is a patois, a dialect that sounds different from English. To assist with your understanding, the common Jamaican patois phrases and the English translation are below. The patois is written as it sounds.
Common phrases in Jamaican patois
Yah mon – yes
No star – No man
Mi a big man/woman – I’m a grown up
Naah sah – no way
Mi a come – I’m coming
Gyal – girl
A weh you a talk bout – What are you talking about
Mi nuh know about you – I don’t know about you
Bawl living eye water – cry
Mi nuh trust dem – I don’t trust them
Mi nah guh dweet – I’m not going to do it
Mi nah lie – I’m not lying
Nah nuh sense – Don’t make any sense
Him rough ar up – discipline her
Weh yuh deh? – Where are you?
Mi a wondah – I’m wondering
Hol ahn – Hold on, wait
Nuh ramp wid me – Don’t play with me
Nuh worry yuhself – Don’t worry
Stay tuned for more in this Jamaican blog series
In upcoming blogs, you will see videos about Jamaican food, music, people, and events. Be sure to listen to these Jamaican patois phrases as they will help you understand more about the culture.
