What is a Yardie in slang
Lucas Hayes
Updated on April 17, 2026
Yardie (or Yaadi) is a term often used, particularly within the Caribbean expatriate and Jamaican diaspora community, to refer to people of Jamaican origin, though its exact meaning changes depending on context. The term is derived from the Jamaican patois
What does Yardie mean in Jamaica?
/ (ˈjɑːdɪ) / noun. a member of a Black criminal syndicate originally based in Jamaica.
Who is the White Yardie?
Prince Harry ‘White Yardie’ is one of the UK’s fastest growing Comedians. He started his comedy career through social media outlets predominantly Instagram @wyardie. Within a small amount of time Harry went from a couple hundred followers to 100,000+.
What is a yard girl?
Yard gals refer to the girls of yardies who are members of Jamaican or West Indian posses (gangs), usually drug dealers, or girls in a similar posse; and yard means a home or their native land.What is a Yardie in UK?
Yardies is the term applied to Jamaican-born gangsters operating in Britain. The name refers to criminals from the impoverished back yards of Kingston, Jamaica. Copy-cat criminals. Recently, their traits have begun to be mimicked by small numbers of British-born black youths drawn to the “glamorous” gun-toting image.
What does shotta mean in Jamaica?
Filters. (Jamaica, slang) An armed gangster. noun.
What does fi mean Jamaican?
fi (Conjunction) Meaning/Description: to, for.
What does patois mean in French?
The term patois comes from Old French patois, ‘local or regional dialect‘ (originally meaning ‘rough, clumsy or uncultivated speech’), possibly from the verb patoier, ‘to treat roughly’, from pate, ‘paw’ or pas toit meaning ‘not roof’ (homeless), from Old Low Franconian *patta, ‘paw, sole of the foot’ -ois.What are some Jamaican slang words?
- ‘Weh Yuh Ah Seh’ The literal translation of this Jamaican saying is, “What are you saying?”. …
- ‘Boonoonoonoos’ …
- ‘Small Up Yuhself’ …
- ‘Wah Gwaan’ …
- ‘Irie’ …
- ‘Mi Deh Yah, Yuh Know’ …
- ‘Weh Yuh Deh Pon’ …
- ‘Ya Mon’
Although the Taino referred to the island as “Xaymaca“, the Spanish gradually changed the name to “Jamaica”. In the so-called Admiral’s map of 1507 the island was labeled as “Jamaiqua” and in Peter Martyr’s work “Decades” of 1511, he referred to it as both “Jamaica” and “Jamica”.
Article first time published onWhere is Wyardie?
White Yardie was born in England but moved to Jamaica when he was 3-months-old, he grew up in Black River St Elizabeth Jamaica, before he moved to the UK when he was 17.
Is Sean Paul White?
His paternal great-grandfather’s Sephardic Jewish family immigrated from Portugal to Jamaica in the 17th century, while his paternal grandmother was Afro-Jamaican. His mother is of English and Chinese Jamaican descent.
When did the yardies come to England?
In January 1988, the British press published accounts of an upswing in Jamaican-based crime and the emergence of an organized crime group in the United Kingdom known as the “Yardies” or the “Black Mafia.”
Who is Sandokan in Jamaica?
In 2004, Eric ‘Sandokan’ Brown, aged 29, an accused killer who was on the FBI’s most-wanted list, was killed by the police.
Does Jamaica have 2 flags?
NamesThe Cross, Black, green and goldUseNational flag and civil ensignProportion1:2Adopted6 August 1962
What does Collie mean in Jamaica?
From kindgreenbuds.com: “Collie” was the standard slang-word for cannabis in Kingston, Jamaica, during Bob Marley’s youth” Urban Dictionary: collie. MARIJUANA… term used by rastafarians and jamaicans.
How do you say kid in Jamaican?
Pickney. Pickney is commonly used to refer to a child, in the same way Americans use the word “kid”.
What does bun mean in Jamaican?
bun (Noun) Meaning/Description: burn, a Jamaican cake eaten mainly at Easter time, doing something with some expectations but getting nothing in return.
What is a Blocka?
The Brief: “Blocka” or a “Blocker” is slang for a gun or gunshot.
What is the meaning of Mi Deh Yah?
‘Mi deh yah, yuh know’ While the literal translation is ‘I am here‘, the implied meaning is ‘everything is ok’, or ‘I’m doing well’.
What is whip slang for?
What is a whip in slang? Whip has been used as a slang word for “car” since the late 20th century. It’s also used as a verb meaning “to drive (a car).”
What is Chop Chop in Jamaica?
“Chop chop” means “hurry” and suggests that something should be done now and without delay.
How do you say pretty in Jamaican?
Criss: Jamaican expression meaning “Pretty;” “fine;” or “okay.”
What is a rude boy in Jamaican?
in Jamaica) a member of a group of lower- or working-class teenagers in the 1960s, noted for listening to ska music and for juvenile delinquency: they inspired the later rude-boy fashion in Britain. Also called: rudie, rudy, rudi.
Why do Jamaicans speak broken English?
When the British brought slaves to Jamaica from Africa, they were immediately submerged into an English only speaking culture, and told to speak English. … Slaves were forced to speak English in everyday situations, and because of this, a dialect of broken English came into fruition.
How do you say love you in Jamaican?
PhraseJimiekn / Patwah (Jamaican)I miss youMi miss yuhI love youMi luv yuhGet well soonGo away!Gweh!
How do you say friend in Jamaican?
- I Will Be Right Back – Mi Soon Come.
- To Eat – Nyam.
- Jamaica – Jamrock, Jamdown, Yard.
- Jamaican – Yardie, Yard man.
- Friend – Bredren (male), Sistren (female)
- Well Done – Big up, Respect.
- Excellent – Sell off, Tun up, Wicked.
- What’s up?
Who owns Jamaica?
Colony of Jamaica and DependenciesCommon languagesEnglish, Jamaican Patois, Spanish
Are Jamaicans Latino?
Jamaica, an English-speaking nation, isn’t always included as being part of Latin America either, and Jamaicans do not tend to identify as Latino. The Bahamas, Curaçao, and Dominica are also places that are occasionally lumped into Latin America but are not Latinx or Hispanic.
What religion is Jamaican?
Religion of Jamaica Freedom of worship is guaranteed by Jamaica’s constitution. Most Jamaicans are Protestant. The largest denominations are the Seventh-day Adventist and Pentecostal churches; a smaller but still significant number of religious adherents belong to various denominations using the name Church of God.
Where does the term Yardie come from?
Yardie (or Yaadi) is a term often used, particularly within the Caribbean expatriate and Jamaican diaspora community, to refer to people of Jamaican origin, though its exact meaning changes depending on context. The term is derived from the Jamaican patois for home or “yard”.
