Greeting Try this phrase
Wah gwaan?
What’s going on? / How are you?
A familiar everyday greeting. The tone can be warm, casual, or energetic.
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Wah gwaan Irie Nyam Tallawah Soon come Zeen
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Italizashun
The process of becoming or making something 'ital' — natural, pure, and in keeping with the Rastafari 'livity'.
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Words yuh hear every day.
Learn the meaning, pronunciation, and context behind expressions you hear in conversation, music, and across the diaspora.
Greetings & Conversation
Wah gwaan
The everyday Jamaican greeting — literally 'what's going on?' It works both as a genuine…
Food & DrinkNyam
To eat — especially to eat heartily, hungrily, or greedily.
Greetings & ConversationSoon come
An assurance that the speaker will return or arrive shortly — 'I'll be right back' or 'coming…
Descriptions & EmotionsTallawah
Strong, sturdy, fearless, and full of fortitude despite small size — the word carrying the…
Ital
Natural, pure, and unprocessed — used above all for the Rastafari way of eating: food prepared without salt, chemicals, or preservatives, and…
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Meaning lives in phrasing, tone, and situation. Every translation can teach you how the sentence is built.
Natural
Mi deh yah, everyting criss.
I’m here; everything is good.
Literal
I am here, everything is excellent.
The literal parts help learners see the grammar.
Context
A relaxed, positive response.
Often used when someone asks how you are doing.
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Culture & history 
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How Jamaican Patois carries history forward
Trace the languages, migrations, and creativity that shaped everyday speech.
Read the story → Music Riddim, selecta & dubplate
The vocabulary behind the sound-system session.
Learn the language → Food Nyam good
What Jamaican food words reveal about place and memory.
Open the guide → Proverbs One one coco full basket.
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Explore 8 phrases → Browse by category
Language lives in culture.
Move through the dictionary by the situations, traditions, and communities that give each word its meaning.
Everyday talk wah gwaan · zeen · soon come 124 words →
Food & drink nyam · ackee · bammy 260 words →
Music & dancehall riddim · selecta · dubplate 104 words →
Proverbs & sayings one one coco full basket · walk good 196 sayings →
Rastafari & Iyaric i and i · livity · zion 106 words →
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