The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has recently expanded its collection by adding a fresh set of Nigerian words.
These additions capture the essence of everyday Nigerian life, highlighting popular street expressions and the growing influence of Pidgin English across Africa and beyond.
Reflecting Nigeria’s cultural diversity and rich ethnic heritage, the new entries cater to a wide range of demographics. Many of these words also feature both noun and verb forms. For example, “japa” and “jand” are recognised as both. To assist non-Nigerians interested in mastering these words, the OED has included audio pronunciations.
Dr Kingsley Ugwuanyi, a consultant for OED who also contributed voice recordings for the pronunciations, announced the update via LinkedIn on Tuesday, January 7.
He explained that OED editors relied on corpora to identify frequently and widely used words across Nigeria.
“The criteria include frequency, widespread use, age (generally words in use for 0–10 years), and the social significance of the words,” Ugwuanyi shared.
He further expressed his excitement, saying, “This time, I not only drafted most of the words but also had the incredible opportunity to provide their pronunciations. When you explore the OED online and click on the pronunciations, you’ll hear my voice bringing these words to life.”
Notably, this isn’t the first time Nigerian words have been included in the OED. Back in 2020, 29 uniquely Nigerian entries, such as “danfo,” “okada,” “next tomorrow,” and “mama put,” were added.
Here are the latest Nigerian words included in the OED for 2025:
- 419
- Abi
- Adire
- Agbero
- Area Boy
- Cross-carpet / Cross-carpeting
- Eba
- Edo
- Gele
- Jand (noun)
- Jand (verb)
- Janded
- Japa (noun)
- Japa (verb)
- Kanuri
- Kobo
- Naija
- Suya
- Yahoo
- Yahoo Boy
- Yarn Dust
These entries are a testament to the global recognition of Nigeria’s linguistic and cultural contributions.
