Australian Slang For Friend (Revealed!)

The most common way to refer to your friends in Australian slang is simply “mate”. This is the most common and universal. You might also hear “cobber”, “mick” or more generic and widely used terms such as buddy and pal. “Mate” will do just fine in most settings. “Tidda” can also mean a female friend.

So, Australians certainly do have a few of their own unique slang terms for friend.

There aren’t a huge number that you wouldn’t also hear elsewhere in the English speaking world, but those that there are have really become quintessentially Australian.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do Australians call their friends?

By and large, Australians just call their friends “mate”.

If you’ve ever spoken to an Australian, likelihood is they may have called you mate.

While the term can also be a friendly way to address someone you don’t know, it’s just as common to be used for close friends, too.

Studies show around 82% of Australians use this term in conversation regularly.

But mate is of course used in other countries, too.

One of the most common slang terms for friend, which you’re unlikely to hear outside of Australia, is “cobber”.

This is typically used between men to refer to their friends. It’s rather an old term, but is still in use today particularly among the older generations.

Another one that is still quite common is “mick”.

This has largely the same sense as does “cobber”. It’s a somewhat old fashioned term for friend still used among the older generations, more commonly among groups of men than women.

This one you might hear, to a far lesser extent, in parts of England, but it is much more Australian in character.

There are other terms that will be used to refer to friends, such as “buddy” and “pal,” which deserve a mention simply because they are such a big part of Australian slang.

“Buddy” is far more common here, as in other parts of the English speaking world it’s more likely something you would call a child or an animal.

Finally, the Australian Aboriginals have a word, “Tidda,” which is used to refer to a female friend or sometimes a sister.

This has taken on a broader use in Australian society, as indeed have a number of other aboriginal terms.

So, this one is a bit more specific than just friend, but it still means only friend and not a lover.

So, where do all these slang terms come from?

Why do Australians say mate?

As you may know, “mate” was originally a British slang term used by the working class.

Originally, it referred to a habitual companion, particularly someone you would work alongside each day.

It is still in widespread use in Britain today.

By at least 1826, “mate” was already in widespread use among Australians to refer to their friends.

By that year, two of the country’s major newspapers reported that it was an increasingly commonplace greeting.

Australia was, at that time, still a British colony, so it’s hardly surprising that it borrowed so heavily from British slang.

It is perhaps more common today, and with a broader application, than it ever has been.

It’s friendly, polite, and rolls off the tongue with ease.

Why do Australians say cobber?

This one is a bit more of a mystery.

We aren’t entirely sure of the origin of the slang term cobber, although we have a good idea.

There a couple of leading theories.

One suggests that “cobber” comes from the Yiddish word chaber, which means “comrade”.

There have been large Yiddish-speaking Jewish communities in Australia since the earliest days of its colonization.

So, the term could have spread this way.

On the other hand, some think it dervies from the British slang verb “cob”.

This meant to take a liking to someone.

Thus it would eventually become “cobber” in Australian slang.

Why do Australians say mick?

This one has a somewhat more troubled history.

In British slang, it has in the past been a derogatory term for an Irish person.

It passed on to Australian in something like this form, though quickly expanded to simply refer to anyone who is Roman Catholic.

At some point, the term was entirely reclaimed to just mean a friend of any descent or creed.

When and how this happened is very hard to tell, but it seems to have been sometime in the last century.

Today, it is less common, but still very much in use.

Why do Australians say tidda?

Finally, we have tidda.

As I mentioned, this one is unique as it derives ultimately not from English, but from the Australian Aboriginal language.

Here, tidda has a few different meanings. Literally, “sister” is probably the closest translation.

However, it doesn’t necessarily have the sense of a blood sister. It could mean just a girl you’re very close with.

In Australian slang, it has come to take on this meaning exclusively.

Your “tidda” is a close female friend, someone you might think of like a sister, but whom is not literally your sister.

Australians have a number of slang terms for friend, then, but if you’re not an Australian yourself, I’d say stick to mate at first!

It’s universally used and everyone understands the meaning and tone of the word.

Nonetheless, there are a number of other Australian slang terms for friend still widely used, with some fascinating history of their use.

More in Australian Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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