What it means
Lekker is one of those South African words that does loads of heavy lifting. It can mean tasty, nice, great, fun, lovely, solid, just plain good. Food can be lekker, a party can be lekker, the weather can be lekker, even a person can be lekker. It’s warm, easy, and deeply local, so "nice" never quite lands with the same glow.
Usage examples
"Ag man, this vetkoek is lekker. Chuck me another one before the cousins get here and finish the whole pot"
"We had such a lekker day at the beach, braai going, kids in the water, not one worry until the wind picked up and chased us home."
"That set at the jol was proper lekker, hey. Even my grumpy cousin ended up dancing by the speakers."
"Shame, your new place is lekker. Good light, good music, and not a single dodgy chair in sight."
"Eish, that sunset was lekker hey, whole sky looked like it was showing off for free."
Got something to say?
Edit, fix or tell us something. We review it and, if it is true, you will see it applied with your name on it.
Where it comes from
Lekker came into South African English through Afrikaans, where it means tasty, pleasant, or enjoyable. Afrikaans inherited it from Dutch, where the word has been around for centuries. In South Africa it grew legs and wandered way past food, turning into an everyday go-to for anything that feels good, fun, or just right.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.