Greetings
Moro
MO-ro
'Good morning' — Afrikaans-derived and the default informal greeting in Windhoek across language groups.
Wa lalapo
wah lah-LAH-po
'Good morning' in Oshiwambo, the most widely spoken first language in Namibia. Reply 'Nawa' — well.
Baie dankie
BUY-uh DUNK-ee
'Thank you very much' in Afrikaans, which functions as a working lingua franca in Windhoek alongside English.
Social
Is it?
IZZ-it
Southern African English for 'really?' — an all-purpose acknowledgement that means you are listening rather than that you are asking.
Braai
BRY
A barbecue, and the central social institution. An invitation to a braai is the main way friendships get made here.
Food
Kapana
ka-PA-na
Grilled beef sold in strips at open-air markets, cut in front of you and eaten with chilli and salt. The Single Quarters market in Katutura is the place for it.
Daily life
Bakkie
BUCK-ee
A pickup truck. In a country of gravel roads and long distances, it is the default vehicle rather than a lifestyle choice.
Robot
RO-bot
A traffic light. Directions here are given in robots and turn-offs, not street names.
Culture
Katutura
ka-too-TOO-ra
The township north-west of the centre, its Otjiherero name meaning roughly 'the place where we do not want to live' — a reference to the forced removals that created it in the 1960s.
Oshana
o-SHA-na
The seasonal watercourses of the far north that flood in a good rainy season. In Namibia everyone tracks the rain, and this word is why.
Emergency
10111 / 061 211 111
—
10111 reaches the Namibian Police; 061 211 111 is the City of Windhoek's 24-hour line for ambulance, fire and rescue.
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