Chur bro! 45 Words and phrases every New Zealand tourist should know

Heading to New Zealand? Here are 45 words and phrases you should know. Photo / Supplied

When preparing to visit New Zealand, few tourists would think to buy a phrasebook or download a language-learning app.

However, once they arrive, they may wish they'd done their research.

English may be New Zealand's most widely spoken official language (yes, we have three), but we could still fill a dictionary with the special phrases and particular lingo you can't find anywhere else in the world.

Here are some classic Kiwi words and phrases every visitor should know.

Kiwi-as words and phrases

Across the ditch: The ditch is, essentially, the Tasman sea. So, if you're in NZ, 'across the ditch' means Australia and vice versa.

Aotearoa: Māori word for New Zealand. You'll see both used around the country.

Aroha: Love, compassion, or affectionate regard (Māori).

Bach: A holiday home, which is pronounced 'batch'. E.g. "We're going to bach this weekend."

Barbie: Barbecue. In NZ, this is a noun and refers to the cooking appliance, not the style of food or a flavour. e.g. "We'll toss some saussies (sausages) on the barbie and have them with barbecue sauce."

Beaut: A shortened version of beautiful, meaning great or excellent. It can be used as a noun or an adjective. E.g. "Check out my new car, she's a beaut" or "it's a beaut day."

Bro: A term of endearment for a close friend (usually male).

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Chocka: Completely full. E.g. "The fridge is chocka."

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Choice. Great, excellent or awesome. E.g. "I saved you a seat" "Choice!"

Chook: Chicken.

Chur: Thanks/thank you. Often paired with 'bro' e.g. "Chur bro!"

Coro: An abbreviation of Coromandel, a region in New Zealand.

Dairy: Corner store that sells everyday essentials like newspapers, milk, lollies.

Dunners: An abbreviation of Dunedin, a city in New Zealand.

Egg: An adjective meaning silly. E.g. "Stop being such an egg."

Good as gold: Good or swell. E.g. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, good as gold."

Grotty: Gross or disgusting. E.g. "The toilets were so grotty."

Hard Yakka: Hard work. E.g. "We moved house yesterday, it was pretty hard yakka."

Jafa: Just Another F******g (or fantastic) Aucklander. E.g. "He drinks decaf oat milk lattes, what a Jafa."

Jandals: Flip flops or thongs.

Kai: Food (Māori). E.g. "Let's grab some kai."

Ka pai: A response to something/someone, meaning well done, or good (Māori).

Keen: Eager, often paired with 'as'. E.g. "Want to go swimming?" "Yeah, I'm keen as."

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Kia Ora: Hi or hello (Māori).

Knackered: Tired or exhausted.

Koha: A gift (Māori). It is often used to mean 'donation' if something doesn't have a set cost. E.g. "This is a free tour but we appreciate any koha."

Mare: Short for nightmare, meaning a bad or difficult situation. E.g. "Traffic was a mare today."

Mōrena: Good morning (Māori).

Muppet: Similar to egg, someone who is incompetent or silly.

Pakeha: People living in New Zealand of British/European origin (Māori).

Scroggin: Commonly known as Trail Mix, a combination of nuts, fruit and chocolate often taken on hikes or outdoor activities.

She'll be right: No worries, it will be okay. "It's forecast to rain but she'll be right."

Stoked: Really happy about something.

Stubbies: A fashion item beloved by Kiwi men around the country, both a brand (Stubbies) and a style of short, tightly fitted shorts.

Suss (it out): To organise or sort. E.g. "We're out of coffee" "No worries, I'll suss it out."

Sweet as: Cool, awesome or no problem.

Ta: Thank you, shortened.

Taking the piss: Making fun or joking about. E.g. "Oh, I'm just taking the piss."

Tiki tour: Taking the long way to a destination, either on purpose or accidentally. E.g. "Before heading to Whangerei, we'll just take a tiki tour to Mangawhai Heads."

Togs: Swimming wear.

Tramp: A long (possibly multi-day) walk in the outdoors, similar to a hike. E.g. "We're going tramping this weekend."

Welly: An abbreviation of Wellington, New Zealand's capital city.

The Wop-wops: A place that is rural or in the middle of nowhere. E.g. "She's from the wop-wops."

Yarn: A conversation, or, if you 'spin a yarn', an exaggerated story. E.g. "We had a good yarn about cricket yesterday."

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Yeah nah: The most iconic (and confusing) of them all. Usually means no and can sometimes mean maybe. "Are you coming to the party tomorrow? "Yeah, nah, I'm away."

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