If you have ever seen a t-shirt that says How far? and wondered whether it was a question about distance, this one is for you. Nigerian Pidgin is spoken by tens of millions of people, and a good chunk of it has made its way onto clothing — often without much explanation attached.
Here is what the common ones mean, and when people actually say them.
Greetings
- How far? — "How are you?" or "What's going on?" Nothing to do with distance. It is the standard opener between friends.
- Wetin dey happen? — "What's happening?" Slightly more curious than How far, used when you suspect there is news.
- I dey — "I'm fine", literally "I am". The usual reply to How far.
Everyday shorthand
- Abeg — "Please", but it carries more weight than the English word. Depending on tone it ranges from polite request to "come on, seriously".
- Wahala — "Trouble" or "hassle". No wahala means "no problem" and is probably the most exported phrase in the language.
- Chop — "Eat". Chop life means to enjoy yourself.
- Sabi — "To know" or "to be skilled at". I sabi am means "I know it" or "I'm good at it".
Titles and address
- Oga — "Boss". Used for an actual superior, and used sarcastically for someone acting like one.
- Naija — Nigeria, affectionately. Worn with pride rather than as an abbreviation of convenience.
Why it works on clothing
Pidgin is compressed. No wahala does in two words what English needs a sentence for, and it carries a tone that Standard English does not have an equivalent for. That is exactly what makes it good on a chest print — a phrase that means something specific to the people who know it, and reads as friendly to everyone else.
It is also not a dialect frozen in a museum. The BBC runs a full news service in Pidgin, which tells you something about how alive the language is.
Our Pidgin collection puts these phrases on t-shirts and hoodies, printed rather than embroidered so the text stays sharp and does not stiffen the fabric. If you are buying for someone else, the gift guide for Nigerian friends and family covers what tends to land well.
A note on spelling
Pidgin has no single agreed spelling system. You will see wetin and wettin, abeg and abeq. Neither is wrong. We spell phrases the way they are most commonly written online, which is usually the way they sound.
More on how the language relates to Standard English in Pidgin and Standard English: a short guide, and on which phrases work on clothing in Naija slang on clothing.
Further reading: Wikipedia: Nigerian Pidgin