2025 has seen Nigerian slangs refusing to stay small. Every scroll through TikTok, Instagram, Threads, or WhatsApp has been a journey through new words, viral expressions, and phrases that made conversations instantly funnier, sharper, or sometimes, just downright relatable. It’s been the year we didn’t just talk, we slanged, creating a language that captured the humor, chaos, and energy of everyday life.
From viral mishaps to musical influence, these slangs became part of our daily lives, showing how Nigerian creativity isn’t just in music or fashion, but in the words we use to describe the world around us. Let’s take a ride through the top ten slangs we rocked in 2025, and trust us, you’ve probably used at least half of them without even realizing it.
1. Ganusi
If 2025 had a king of cheeky street slang, it would be Ganusi. Imagine someone at a party, funeral, or family gathering, hovering around the food table like a hawk, eyes wide, mouth ready, and attitude saying, “I’m here, don’t forget me.” That’s Ganusi in action.
The word is Yoruba in origin, short for Ga enu si, which literally means “gathering mouth in expectation,” but street culture has turned it into a humorous way to describe anyone waiting for freebies, handouts, or just trying to sneak into situations for personal gain. The term went viral after KWAM I, the Nigerian musician, jokingly referred to a few uninvited alfas at his mother’s funeral as Ganusi.
Overnight, the word popped up in memes, music lyrics, comedy skits, and casual chats. Now, calling someone Ganusi is a playful way to point out their hunger for attention, food, or cash without sounding rude, and everyone from your neighbor to your favorite influencer has used it at least once.
2. Sope Purr
If you thought Ganusi was funny, wait until you meet Sope Purr.
It all started innocently enough with a young girl making a casual video during Sallah celebrations, combing her hair, joking with friends, and throwing out “Sope Purr” as a spontaneous expression of excitement and affirmation. The phrase spread faster than wildfire. In 2025, Sope Purr became the shorthand for admiration, celebration, or just saying, “Yes, you slay!”
Whether on Instagram captions, TikTok videos, or WhatsApp messages, people were dropping Sope Purr at the end of every playful, impressive, or celebratory moment. Friends would chant it in videos, fans would comment it under celebrity posts, and even dignitaries got in on the fun.
Sope Purr doesn’t just approve, it cheers, celebrates, and spreads good vibes in one small, punchy phrase. The girl probably had no idea she had created a national trend, but in true Nigerian fashion, one casual moment became a year-long sensation.
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3. Kundunsi
Sometimes, the best slangs come from happy accidents, and Kundunsi is proof. It began when MC Oluomo, the outspoken leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, mispronounced the English word “kudos” while commending his members. The resulting “Kundunsi” immediately captured the imagination of social media.
Suddenly, every Facebook post praising a friend, every Instagram comment celebrating an achievement, had a new, humorous option. “Kundunsi” doesn’t just mean congratulations; it comes wrapped in a wink and a smile, a subtle acknowledgment of achievement with that unmistakable street flair. Using it makes you sound both playful and supportive, like you’re in on a joke that only 2025 truly understands.
4. Gadus
Gadus is the kind of slang that makes you laugh before you even understand it. It came from a viral roadside moment where a young man named Abdulgafar Saad was teased by friends, and the phrase “No be Gadus be this?” quickly caught on. It’s the perfect way to express disbelief, humor, or admiration for someone or something unexpected.
Memes using Gadus flooded Instagram and TikTok, with every absurd scenario suddenly accompanied by the now-famous rhetorical question. Gadus became shorthand for saying, “Wait, is this really happening?” but in a way only Nigerians could make funny, relatable, and utterly meme-worthy.
5. Chakam
If 2025 had a champion of playful accountability, it was Chakam. This trend made screenshotting promises, bold statements, or declarations of love mandatory. Derived from the onomatopoeic sound of a camera shutter, Chakam became Gen Z’s favorite way of saying, “We caught you in 4K, don’t change your story later.”
Whether it was a boy promising to be faithful, a friend swearing they’d come through on a plan, or someone boldly claiming, “I’ll never eat street food again,” a simple “Chakam” served as a record for posterity. TikTok exploded with videos showing people catching others on their words, while Instagram captions turned Chakam into an art form of humor and subtle life lessons. Everyone was playing along, and nobody wanted to be the person “Chakam-ed.”
6. Everywhere Go First Blurr
Life moved fast in 2025, and Everywhere Go First Blurr is the perfect expression for those moments when you’re overwhelmed, shocked, or just trying to make sense of chaos. Literally meaning “everything goes blurry,” it became popular in memes, sports commentary, and social media videos to describe moments that happen so quickly your brain can’t catch up.
From VAR checks in soccer games to sudden unexpected texts or life events, this phrase captured the confusion of modern living. Everyone, at some point, found themselves saying it, often paired with a blurred or fast-motion video, perfectly summarizing the feeling of sudden, overwhelming chaos.
7. Nepo vs Lapo Baby
This duo of slangs made social commentary entertaining. Nepo Baby describes those who get a leg up in life because of family connections or inherited privilege, short for “nepotism baby.” Lapo Baby, on the other hand, stands for “Little Access to Privileges & Opportunities” and describes those hustling without any safety net.
Social media ran with these terms, using them to contrast celebrity kids with everyday hustlers, or simply to jokingly compare friends and colleagues. Nepo and Lapo Babies became shorthand for life’s inequalities, but in true Nigerian style, humor and relatability made the phrases more fun than bitter. Everyone knew which side they fell on, and memes highlighting the differences were endless.
8. Achalugo
From the world of Nollywood, Achalugo burst into everyday slang thanks to the hit movie Love in Every Word. The Igbo word means “God’s treasure” or a beautiful, favored person, usually a woman worth investing time and money on. Social media was flooded with memes, captions, and romantic jokes using Achalugo, and before long, calling someone Achalugo had become the ultimate compliment. It’s the kind of term that transcends language, turning one movie moment into a nationwide phenomenon, showing how pop culture can create slang almost overnight.
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9. Take Am Play First
Some slangs don’t shout. They just sneak into conversations and suddenly everybody is saying them. “Take am play first” became that 2025 survival anthem. It’s what Nigerians now say when someone is underestimating a situation, treating something serious like a joke or acting like life won’t humble them one day.
You’ll hear it when a friend is ignoring red flags, when someone is oversabi-ing at work, or when a person is confidently dismissing advice they desperately need. Instead of arguing, we simply warn them with, “Take am play first.”
It’s playful, almost poetic, but it carries weight. Because deep down, Nigerians know: life has a way of giving quick feedback. If you take it play first, you fit collect later.
10. If E Reach Your Turn
There are slangs that drag you playfully, and then there are slangs that look you in the eye and remind you that life is not a group project. “If e reach your turn” became that quiet national announcement in 2025. It’s the phrase Nigerians now use when someone is giving motivational speeches from a place of comfort, forgetting the rest of us are still in the waiting room of destiny.
It appeared under tweets about sudden success, surprise proposals, unexpected promotions, and even soft-life vacations. Instead of arguing or explaining anything, people simply replied, “If e reach your turn, you go understand.”It’s gentle, it’s real, and it humbles all of us equally. Because truly, when your own turn comes, everything begins to make sense.
Slang, Culture, and the Stories We Lived in 2025
Looking back at 2025, it’s clear that slangs did more than just fill conversations, they told our stories, made us laugh, and captured the quirks of everyday life. From Ganusi hovering for freebies to Chakam keeping everyone accountable, from Nepo and Lapo Babies exposing life’s realities to Achalugo adding romance and flair, these words were more than just slang.
They were a soundtrack of the year, proof that language in Nigeria isn’t static. It evolves, adapts, and thrives in the most unexpected ways. So, which of these slangs did you rock the most this year? Whatever your pick, one thing is certain: 2025 will be remembered for the words we made unforgettable.
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