New Zealand Slang For Angry (Helpful Content!)

The most common New Zealand slang expression meaning angry is “pissed” or “pissed off”. This is the most common term for being angry and is used in all kinds of contexts by more or less all people in New Zealand. Other slang terms for certain kinds of anger include salty, chapped, or even “hangry”.

A lot of New Zealand slang is very similar to slang in other parts of the English speaking world, and yet at the same time they certainly make the terms their own.

“Pissed” can have a lot of subtly different applications in New Zealand slang, depending on the context, so they usually get by just fine with only this term.

Let’s find out more.

What do New Zealanders say for angry?

The most common expression meaning “angry” in New Zealand slang is “pissed” or “pissed off”.

This is a staple slang of the English speaking world and one that is used virtually everywhere.

Nonetheless, it has taken on its own uniquely Kiwi character, becoming something that feels uniquely Kiwi in its own way.

You can apply this one to just about any situation, no matter how angry you really are.

It’s a very versatile phrase that can be used whatever kind of anger you might be feeling.

“I’m so pissed at you right now,” for example.

“Pissed” can have other senses, which is why some people may choose to employ the full phrase “pissed off” rather than just “pissed”.

Either way, both variants are used by New Zealanders, and both have essentially the same meaning.

Saying “pissed off” might carry a bit more weight, but that’s it.

It’s worth bearing in mind, if you weren’t aware, that this one is considered light profanity.

It will go over just fine in most comfortable settings, but just be way of the company in which you use the phrase.

Other than this, there are a handful of phrases that can be used for slightly more specific kinds of anger.

“Salty” is a good example of this, and a common phrase meaning angry in New Zealand.

It might more specifically mean “bitter”. For example, sore losers in a sports game are “salty” about their loss.

This is very common in New Zealand, and it does mean angry, although again it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s a bit more specific than that.

Other than this, you have slang terms like “chapped”, a fairly uncommon one that means angry but which is sometimes used in New Zealand, and “hangry”—a very specific kind of anger that we’ll explore soon.

Let’s look at where all these terms come from.

Why do New Zealanders say “pissed”?

“Pissed” or the full expression “pissed off” is a very common expression in the English-speaking world, although it’s also not all that old.

It was, supposedly, first used by the British army in World War 2.

The first use in writing is attested for certain by 1946, though some push it further back to 1937.

In any case, it was originally British.

When or how exactly it spread to New Zealand is hard to pinpoint.

By the 1970s it was a very common expression meaning you were angry or fed up in both Britain and the U.S., so in all likelihood it spread to New Zealand primarily through travel but also through media, like film and TV.

Since the 20^th Century, it has, as I say, taken on its own very unique character in New Zealand, and everyone knows exactly what it means.

Beyond this, though, we can’t say anything with much certainty about why it took hold so strongly in New Zealand.

Why do New Zealanders say “salty”?

“Salty” is a slang phrase you may or may not be familiar with.

It does, in the broadest terms, simply mean angry, but it has become a bit more specific in the modern day.

As I said, it’s generally used to describe angry bitterness, someone who is showing their anger or behaving badly because of a sense of injustice they’ve experienced.

This slang term is first attested in the States in 1938, and it’s thought to relate to nautical slang, where sailors who were “salty” were tough or aggressive.

However, the precise origin is not certain.

In any case, it has developed over time in New Zealand to come to mean angry and bitter.

When exactly this happened is, again, very hard to say.

It was in use by the late 20^th Century in New Zealand, so again media is the most likely medium of transfer.

Why do New Zealanders say “hangry”?

“Hangry” is a very common and popular slang phrase in both Australia and New Zealand and it means that you are so hungry you’re getting grumpy and angry.

So, as you can see, this is a very specific slang term that doesn’t just neatly translate to angry.

Nonetheless, we’ve all experienced this at one time or another, and New Zealanders love to use this term.

This term also started being used in the 20^th Century though where exactly is unclear.

It’s been in use in New Zealand for several decades at least.

There are certainly lots of colorful ways that Kiwis can describe themselves as being in certain states of anger, then.

For the most part, though, the versatility of the word “pissed” gets them by just fine.

This word can be used in all sorts of contexts to describe different kinds of anger, and it’s more or less universal, so everyone understands it.

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