Kiwi Words That Confuse Americans

Recently I read an article about New Zealanders (or “Kiwis”) having certain words they use that Americans just don’t understand. Having lived in New Zealand for 6 months, I thought I would put in my two cents about the phrases I heard the most. Some phrases are so cool I think Americans should start using them. But some words just make no sense to anyone not from Down Under.

Chur: They mean it like “thank you,” but it’s a little harsh to the ears. Try saying this to the next friend that does something nice for you and see what response you get. I’m not sure where this came from but this is one term I didn’t understand. It’s probably more of a British English thing, like a relaxed “cheers”.

Yeah...Nah: Talk about being vague and confusing. This is supposed to mean “no,” but if people have to take a few seconds to think about what you’re really trying to say, shouldn’t you just give a straightforward yes or no?

Wop Wops: My Kiwi friend would always say she lived in the “wop wops”, which refers to the middle of nowhere. New Zealand has a lot more open space and places deemed to be the middle of nowhere so it’s understandable they’d have another term for this. But this is something I think should be used whenever it can logically be fit into a sentence. It’s such a fun phrase to say.

Togs: This is their word for “bathing suit,” but does it make any sense? It seems like a very British English phrase which is fitting for being part of the Commonwealth, but since it’s plural how do you clarify that you just want the top to the bikini?

Jandals: Their word for “sandals,” which honestly I loved because it sounds more laid back for some reason. But they think Americans are extremely weird for calling them sandals and I don’t know how either term came to be. Get ready for a crazy look from Kiwis if you ever say you’re looking for your flip-flops.

Heaps: It means the same thing in both countries, but Americans don’t seem to use it nearly as much as Kiwis when describing something. When’s the last time you said there were “heaps” of something? But try using it anytime you want to say “lots”. “I’ve got heaps of homework.” “There were heaps of people at the beach.” Doesn’t it make everything seem that much more dramatic?

Lolly: This is what Kiwis call any kind of candy. And I mean any kind. They don’t have half the variety of candy we do, so they heap it all together and it leaves Americans quite confused at times. “Lolly cake” is a bakery favorite of theirs, but what exactly is in a candy cake? Even they can’t tell us. It’s just some green stuff.

Sweet As: Last but not least, my favorite term that I think every person should pick up and use in everyday language. This basically means “cool,” “great,” “awesome,” or anything involving something you like. The great thing is that Kiwis add “as” to anything they’re saying just to emphasize it. “Easy as,” “hard as,” “ugly as,” and any other adjective can be used and it just adds a whole new level to making something a big deal but sounding really chill about it. It’s often followed by “bro”.

There are probably a million more terms, and I’m sure New Zealand isn’t the only country with phrases that Americans would have no clue about. But there’s something about New Zealand English that makes me feel super casual, free and easy. New Zealand does seem to have a more laid back culture than we do in general, so it’s not for everyone. And as similar as the two countries are in terms of language and society, there were heaps of times I was at the dinner table with my Kiwi friends where I said something and they all stared at me in silence. And it worked both ways. Did you know they don’t have normal marshmallows, but only strawberry and vanilla flavors? And that Cherry Coke and premade cookie dough just do not exist and they’ve never even heard of half of our food items? They don’t refrigerate their eggs. A box of any American cereal like Lucky Charms costs $20, and they couldn’t even imagine a cereal that was pure sugar. I could go on and on, but the takeaway message here is that no matter how small New Zealand is (4 million people and a 4:1 ratio of sheep to people), they love living in ignorant bliss of all the American terms and foods that they don’t know they’re missing out on. And maybe Americans just have too much stuff we don’t really need.