South African Slang For Money (20 Examples!)

Whether you believe money makes the world go round or not, it can’t be denied that it plays a constant role in the daily lives of the vast majority of people on Earth.

This typically leads to a great many slang terms arising to describe money and all its innumerable different forms, and this is just as true in South Africa as it is anywhere.

There are countless slang terms to describe money of all different kinds in South Africa, so let’s look into some of them.

Moola

Starting off with a broadly used, universal slang term for money of any kind that you’ll also hear in other places, first we have “moola”.

You’ll hear this one just about everywhere in South Africa to some extent, though it is certainly used more in some areas than in others.

It can be used to refer to any amount of money, whether you have none or you have lots of “moola”. It is used by both the young and old generations, at least in Afrikaans speaking areas of the country. “I’ll need some moola before we go out tonight,” for example.

This was ultimately borrowed from the English slang word which was already in use, “moolah”, which is ultimately of unknown origin though possibly relating to the Islamic title mullah. It is first attested in the 1920s in American English.

Crown/kroon

Next we have “crown” or sometimes “kroon”, a common slang term in South Africa for money.

This one can also refer to a person’s virginity, so you want to be careful with how you use this one!

It refers to any kind of money and is used again mostly by Afrikaans speaking South Africans.

“I haven’t got a crown to my name right now,” for example.

“Crowns” are units of currency in many countries, including being an old fashioned English term for money—so this is likely where the slang term is derived from.

Clip/clipa

This next term generally refers to a specific amount of money, one hundred rand.

It is used again throughout the country and by all generations, though it is more commonly associated with the older generations today.

That said, its usage is still very much alive and does not show any signs of going anywhere.

“I’ve got a clip to spend tonight,” for example.

This is an example of “township” slang.

The townships are those areas of South Africa which are underdeveloped and historically racially segregated urban areas.

We don’t really know precisely where this term comes from or when it started being used, though we can see it derives from township slang.

Pano

This is an example of South African Indian slang.

“Pano” is a commonly used slang term for money which you’ll hear in certain parts of the country.

In most of the country, it is also understood as a euphemism, rather than slang, for money.

However, to most who use it, it is simply slang. “Pano is running short,” for example.

It is derived from the Tamil word for money and is as mentioned slang used by Indians in South Africa.

Smeka

Though one of the older terms on this list that is not much used or understood anymore, “smeka” is still a slang term for money in South Africa to some degree.

Not much is known about the term other than that it means money and often used in the work context when a mediocre worker is demanding more money.

“Raise my smeka, or I’ll quit,” for example.

Machangura

Next we have “machangura,” a slang term which can refer to money in general but is usually used to refer to cash, as in physical money.

This one is another example of township slang, so you certainly won’t hear it used everywhere.

However, in the places where it is used, it is very widely understood.

Nevertheless, it’s one that may sound a bit odd coming from the mouth of a non-native.

“Go to the bank for machangura,” for example.

Zaka

Another piece of township slang, “zaka” is a term used for money in general in certain parts of South Africa.

Again, there’s not really anything specific about this term beyond the fact it simply means money.

It could be physical money or money in the bank, it could be a lot of money or it could only be a little.

“I’m all out of zaka, I can’t come out tonight,” for example.

Monica

In the 1970s, an argot today called Gayle language developed in South Africa.

This argot was used among the gay community so that they could converse in public without drawing attention, given South Africa’s laws against homosexuality at the time.

Within this gay argot, “monica” was used to refer to money.

“I’ve just come into some monica,” for example.

Given that this was a consciously constructed argot, the simple explanation for the origin of this term is that it sounds like “money”.

Bob

Next we have “bob”, a common slang term for money in South Africa.

It can be used with certain modifiers to mean a certain denomination of money, and this is most often how it’s used—however, it can also be a term used for money in general. “2 bob” or “5 bob” are the most common ways the term is used, referring to a twenty and a fifty cent coin.

The term is borrowed from the British slang words for two and five shillings.

Boice

Another example of township slang is “boice,” a term used for an R2 coin.

This one has become more widely understood in South Africa but it is by no means used by everyone in the country.

It is rather more specific since it doesn’t refer to money in general but rather one specific denomination.

“All I’ve got left is a boice,” for example.

Tiger

Another piece of township slang for a specific denomination of money is “tiger”.

This is a term used specifically for the R10 note.

Again, this one is not all that widely used although most understand what it means when they hear it used.

It’s unknown where the name comes from.

“I’ve got a tiger in my pocket, hopefully, that can get us a cab home,” for example.

Chocko

Yet another piece of township slang is a “chocko”, a term used to describe an R20 note.

Much the same applies of this one as does of these other rather specific examples of township slang.

Most are likely to understand the meaning of the term, though not all, and it is much more locally restricted in terms of its use.

“A chocko just for one ticket? Forget it,” for example.

Pinkies

Next we have “pinkies”, a very widespread slang term in South Africa used to describe R50 notes.

These notes are also sometimes called 5 tigers, but the more universal term is just “pinkies”.

Most in South Africa understand or even use this term themselves, and it is a lot more widespread than some of the other, more regional slang terms for denominations in South African slang.

The word simply comes from the fact that the notes themselves are pink.

Jacket

Another term commonly used for R50 notes is “jacket”.

This is another example of township slang, so it is not as widely used as “pinkies”—but many will still understand what you mean by this term.

It’s unclear where it comes from.

“You’d best not walk around with jackets on you,” for example.

Stena

Next we have “stena,” a piece of township slang but finally one of much more certain origin.

It is used to describe the amount of R1000, although this is just an amount and not a specific denomination—there is no R1000 note.

It derives from the township word for brick, having the sense of a large stack or wad of money as big as a brick.

“I’m hoping to get a stena for my old motorbike,” for example.

Grand

A more or less universal English-speaking slang term for 1,000 units of any currency, “grand” is also used in South African slang to refer to R1000.

It ultimately derives from the United Kingdom, and it spread to South Africa sometime in the 20^th Century. It is used across the country by people of all ages and demographics.

“A grand for an old banger like this? No way,” for example.

Bar

Now we move into slang terms for much large amounts of money which, naturally, do not get used all that often.

A “bar” is a Durban slang term for one million Rand, used mostly only in this smaller region of the country.

Durban is a city on the east coast of South Africa.

So, you won’t hear this term much outside the city, and even then people rarely discuss this amount of money on a day to day basis!

Yard

As you’ll probably not be surprised to hear, this next one is an example of “banking slang” which you will not very often hear outside of this context.

A “yard” is a slang term for one billion Rand.

Naturally, this is not a term that is much used among average people even discussing the wealth of others.

It is simply used by bankers.

Meter

A “meter” is another example of township slang, this time for the amount of one million Rand.

Again, as you might expect, this one is not very often used but nonetheless is still quite widely understood.

Bucks

Finally, we have another very widespread and almost universal slang term for money in South Africa, “bucks”.

This one is of course widely used in the English speaking world, from the U.S. to Australia, and also in South Africa.

It can describe any amount of money and is among the most common, simple stand in terms for general “money” in South Africa.

“I’ve got about twenty bucks for tonight,” for example.

As you can see, then, there are slang terms for just about any kind of money you might want to describe.

From the broadest terms used to describe money in general to the most specific terms describing certain notes or denominations, South African slang has something for all of them.