gwan
Patois contraction of "go on", used in several distinct everyday senses: as a greeting equivalent to "what's going on?" (often in the phrase "wha gwan?" or its shortened form "wagwan"), as encouragement meaning "carry on, you're doing well" ("gwan, mi yute!"), as an acknowledgement of someone's style or hustle ("him a gwan good"), and occasionally as a dismissive "go away, get out of here".
Definitions
Patois contraction of "go on", used in several distinct everyday senses: as a greeting equivalent to "what's going on?" (often in the phrase "wha gwan?" or its shortened form "wagwan"), as encouragement meaning "carry on, you're doing well" ("gwan, mi yute!"), as an acknowledgement of someone's style or hustle ("him a gwan good"), and occasionally as a dismissive "go away, get out of here". Pronounced roughly "GWAHN". Massively common across Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and the UK Caribbean diaspora, and a staple of reggae, dancehall and grime lyrics. Multifunctional enough that meaning depends almost entirely on tone, surrounding words and facial expression.
wha gwan mi bredren, long time mi no see yuh
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "gwan".
🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Other words near "gwan" (G)
Browse all slang words starting with G.
Related terms
Semantically related
- wha gwan84%
Jamaican Patois greeting: "what's going on?" Also spelled "wah gwan," "wa gwan," or "wagwan." A universal opener that signals familiarity — you don't throw a "wha gwan" at a stranger.
- wagwan79%
Greeting; "what's going on?" / "what's up?" Caribbean origin, common in MLE.
- ting64%
Patois pronunciation of "thing", with the initial "th" softened to "t" as is standard in Jamaican English. Used in all the ordinary English senses — an object, a matter, a situation ("dat a different ting") — but also carries a distinctly Caribbean and Multicultural London English meaning: a romantic interest, a girl one is seeing or attracted to ("she my ting"). The word travelled from Patois into UK road rap and grime in the 2000s and 2010s and is now mainstream slang across the UK, often heard in lines like "peng ting" (an attractive person). Tone and context determine whether the speaker means an object, a situation or a person.
- wagwan check64%
A quick vibe check framed as a greeting — essentially asking whether someone's energy or situation is good. Used when you want to gauge how a person or group is doing in the most casual way possible, like a welfare ping dressed up in UK slang.
- dutty63%
Patois spelling of "dirty", reflecting the typical Caribbean pronunciation where the "r" softens and the final consonant is voiced. Used literally to mean unclean or filthy, but more often as slang for "raw", "hard", "intense" or "impressively grimy" in the same way English speakers might say a beat is "filthy". Common in dancehall and UK garage/grime, where a "dutty bassline" is a heavy, distorted, irresistible one. The word also names a whole family of dances and phrases: "dutty wine" (a popular 2000s dance involving rapid neck and hip rotation, named in Tony Matterhorn's 2006 hit), "dutty whine", "dutty dancing". Tone determines whether the speaker is paying a compliment, describing literal dirt or, sometimes, calling someone disreputable.