What is Australian slang?

Australian slang is a collection of informal words and phrases unique to Australia, often featuring shortened words (e.g., 'arvo' for afternoon), rhyming slang, and culturally specific expressions used in everyday conversation.

What are the most common Australian slang words?

The most common Australian slang words include: G'day (hello), Arvo (afternoon), Brekkie (breakfast), Servo (service station), Thongs (flip-flops), Mate (friend), and Reckon (think/believe).

How do Australians say hello?

Australians commonly say 'G'day' as an informal greeting, which is short for 'Good day'. Other common greetings include 'How ya going?' (How are you?).

Speaking Australian

Struth mate, are you feeling a bit lost in translation when it comes to speaking Aussie? With G'Day Galah we dive into the wild world of Australian words and slang and learn the cultural quirks that'll have you understanding and speaking like a true blue Aussie in no time.

Try these few things to understand and sound like an Australian.

Silhouette of Australia in teal on a mustard yellow background.

Change letters at the end of words

Try changing the letters at the end of some words. If a word ends in ‘r’ replace it with a short 'a' sound. For example “after dinner” becomes “aftah dinnah”.

Illustration of a kangaroo with text "Kangaroo" and pronunciation "KANG-GA-ROO" on a pink background.

Shorten your words

Australians love to shorten their words, because who has time for all those letters? For example, afternoon becomes arvo.

A pair of teal flip-flops with pink straps on a yellow background with small scattered yellow dots.

Add a rising question-like intonation at the end of a sentence

Australians tend to use a rising intonation pattern which gives their speech a friendly and approachable tone.

Add an -ey ir -ie to words

Present is pressie, Breakfast is brekkie, and mosquito is mozzie.

Pronounce ‘oo’ like ‘ew’

Australians say pool, school and cool like pewl, skewl and kewl.