Australian & New Zealand English - オーストラリア/NZ文化ガイド
Australian English (Strine)
Key Features
- Shortening everything and adding "-o" or "-ie/-y"
- Rising intonation at end of sentences (sounds like a question)
- Very casual and informal culture
- "Mate" is used constantly
- Self-deprecating humor ("tall poppy syndrome" — don't show off)
Australian Slang
| Slang | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| arvo | afternoon | See you this arvo! |
| brekkie | breakfast | What's for brekkie? |
| barbie | barbecue | Throw some snags on the barbie. |
| snag | sausage | Want a snag? |
| avo | avocado | Avo on toast |
| servo | service station | Stop at the servo for petrol. |
| bottle-o | bottle shop (liquor store) | Run to the bottle-o. |
| ambo | ambulance | Call the ambo! |
| Macca's | McDonald's | Let's go to Macca's. |
| thongs | flip-flops (NOT underwear!) | Grab your thongs for the beach. |
| no worries | you're welcome/it's fine | "Thanks!" "No worries, mate!" |
| she'll be right | it'll be fine | Don't stress, she'll be right. |
| fair dinkum | genuine/really | Fair dinkum? That really happened? |
| crikey | wow/oh my | Crikey, that's a big spider! |
| chuck a sickie | take a fake sick day | I'm gonna chuck a sickie tomorrow. |
| heaps | a lot | There's heaps of food here. |
| reckon | think | I reckon we should go. |
| good on ya | well done | You passed? Good on ya! |
| sunnies | sunglasses | Don't forget your sunnies. |
| bogan | unsophisticated person | Don't be such a bogan. |
| bloke | man/guy | He's a top bloke. |
| chunder | vomit | He had too much to drink and chundered. |
| dodgy | questionable/sketchy | That place looks dodgy. |
| flat out | very busy | I've been flat out at work. |
| stoked | very happy/excited | I'm stoked about the trip! |
| whinge | complain/whine | Stop whingeing! |
| ta | thank you | Ta, love! |
Rhyming Slang (from Cockney, used in Aus)
- "Have a Captain Cook" = have a look
- "Dog and bone" = phone
New Zealand English (Kiwi English)
Key Features
- "e" sounds become "i": "pen" sounds like "pin", "deck" like "dick"
- Very similar to Australian but with differences
- Maori influence is strong (cultural and linguistic)
- Even more laid-back than Australia
Kiwi Slang
| Slang | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sweet as | great/awesome | "How was the trip?" "Sweet as!" |
| choice | great | That's choice, bro! |
| bro | friend/mate | What's up, bro? |
| chur | thanks/cheers | Chur, bro! |
| jandals | flip-flops | Grab your jandals. |
| dairy | corner shop/convenience store | I'm going to the dairy for milk. |
| togs | swimsuit | Don't forget your togs. |
| bach | holiday house (pronounced "batch") | We're staying at our bach. |
| tramping | hiking | We went tramping in Fiordland. |
| wop-wops | middle of nowhere | They live out in the wop-wops. |
| she'll be right | it'll be fine | Same as Australian |
| hard out | definitely/intense | Hard out, that was tough. |
| munted | broken/destroyed | My phone is munted. |
| aye | right? (tag) | Good weather, aye? |
Maori Words Used in NZ English
| Maori | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| kia ora | hello/thank you | Common greeting |
| whanau | family | "My whanau is important to me." |
| aroha | love | "Show some aroha." |
| mana | prestige/authority | "He has a lot of mana." |
| taonga | treasure/valued possession | "This ring is a taonga." |
| kaitiaki | guardian/steward | Environmental kaitiaki. |
| kai | food | "Let's get some kai." |
| haka | war dance (rugby!) | The All Blacks perform the haka. |
| pounamu | greenstone/jade | Pounamu jewelry. |
| whenua | land | Connection to the whenua. |
Cultural Comparisons
Australia vs New Zealand Rivalry
- Like siblings — they tease each other constantly
- NZ: "Australians are loud and obnoxious"
- AU: "Kiwis are just sheep farmers"
- Both: fiercely proud of their own country
- The pavlova debate — both claim to have invented it
- Russell Crowe — both claim him (born in NZ, lives in AU)
Sports
Australia: - Australian Rules Football (AFL) — unique to Australia - Cricket — The Ashes (vs England) is huge - Rugby League (NRL) — especially in NSW and QLD - Swimming — Olympic powerhouse
New Zealand: - Rugby Union — ALL BLACKS are national heroes - The Haka before games is iconic - Cricket — Black Caps - Netball — Silver Ferns
Wildlife Vocabulary
| Australian | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| kangaroo, koala, wombat, platypus | kiwi bird, tuatara, weta |
| deadly spiders, snakes, jellyfish | almost no dangerous animals |
| "everything in Australia tries to kill you" | "New Zealand is safe" |
| Great Barrier Reef | Milford Sound |
Practical Differences
Australia
- Drive on the left
- Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD), "bucks"
- Healthcare: Medicare (public) + private insurance
- Education: university = "uni"
- BBQ culture is sacred
- Beach culture is central to lifestyle
- "Slip, Slop, Slap" — sun protection campaign
New Zealand
- Drive on the left
- Currency: New Zealand Dollar (NZD), "bucks"
- Healthcare: public system
- Very environmentally conscious
- Lord of the Rings tourism
- "100% Pure New Zealand" — tourism slogan
- Maori culture is deeply integrated