“Oranges Are Oranges, Naartjies Are Naartjies”: UK Woman Stunned by Unique SA Names for Common Items

• A British woman moved to Cape Town and realised her English vocabulary did not help her at all when she visited the local grocery stores
• The young expat discovered that South Africans use very unique words like brinjal and naartjie instead of the traditional British terms for common fresh produce
• Moving to the Mother City has taught the visitor that the local way of speaking is a beautiful melting pot of many different African cultures

A British woman who recently moved from London to Cape Town has found herself baffled by the Mzansi way of speaking

Tara Berwin realised that South Africans have a very specific way of naming common items that she had never heard before. This linguistic shift happened because the country blends many different cultures into one unique and rich language. The young woman has been dating a South African for four years.

Despite their long relationship, she never truly understood the depth of the local Mzansi lingo until she arrived. Berwin explained that her partner does not even speak fluent Afrikaans, but he still uses the words daily. She noticed that English in South Africa is much more colourful than the version spoken back in Britain.

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Local retailers use different names for basic goods

Most people from the United Kingdom expect to see the word aubergine when they are shopping for dinner. Instead, she found that the local term for this purple vegetable is actually a brinjal in the shops. She noted that while apples and pears keep their original names, other items are changed completely.

She shared a video of herself on Instagram on 12 October 2025 explaining her discoveries. Berwin said that she had to learn new words for things like corn and various citrus fruits. She found it very strange that a common easy-peeler or orange is called a naartjie. She, however, admitted that she finds these local names much sweeter than the standard English ones used.

Watch the Instagram video below:

Mzansi reacts to the clip

Briefly News compiled some comments from the video below

@amydmwasserfall commented:

“I'm in love with the wonder with which you speak about the words you're learning. 💖”

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@marulacrush wrote:

“This is South African English. When I speak English to people here in Europe, it is British English until another ‘Southa’ enters the conversation, and then the Mzansi English and accent naturally appear. 😂”

@mah1are said:

“That "yesus bru" certifies your South Africanness. You're one of us now. You left England as Gandalf the Grey. You will return as Gandalf the White.”

@nevhall2025 commented:

“You are so cute. I'm so pleased that you are loving our South African way of speaking. We are the most diverse type of lekker (lovely) people in the World. 😍❤️”

@mmaarona_k said:

“No, oranges are oranges and naartjies are naartjies. Same family, different fruits.”

More about UK visitors in Mzansi

• A UK man living in Durban went viral for sharing three unique things about the South African lifestyle that just make sense to him.
• A UK travel content creator visited a top-rated steakhouse in Cape Town, calling South Africa the land of cheap and amazing steak.
• A young lady from the United Kingdom posted a video about her South African visit.

Source: Briefly News