Understanding Gen Alpha: Their top slang terms explained

With this cheat sheet, you’ll keep up with the conversation and avoid feeling completely out of the loop

Credit: Getty Images/Elva Etienne
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As the festive season approaches, chances are you’ll find yourself surrounded by family and friends. And among the cheerful conversations and catch-ups with your loved ones, you might overhear the younger generation speaking in terms that leave you scratching your head. Yes, we’re talking about the infamous Gen Alpha slang.

Much like any generation, the kids these days also have a language of their own, filled with catchy phrases and shorthand that can sound like a foreign language to anyone outside their TikTok and Roblox universe. To help you acclimate and decode their chatter (so you won’t feel lost midway through your convo), we’ve put together a handy guide to the most popular Gen Alpha slang.

1. Skibidi 

The term ‘skibidi’ originally came from the 2018 song Skibidi by the Russian rave band Little Big. However, it recently gained popularity when the song was used in the “Skibidi Toilet” meme series on TikTok and YouTube, created by the animator DaFuq!?Boom! The memes consist of anthropomorphic toilets and dancing heads, which are seen as a symbol of absurd internet humour. Hence, the term has no inherent meaning and can be used as a wacky adjective to mean cool, bad or dumb – depending on the context.

2. Sigma

Unlike the term ‘Alpha’, ‘Sigma’ refers to an independent, self-reliant individual who operates outside traditional social hierarchies. Think of it as a lone wolf who achieves success and respect without conforming to societal norms or seeking validation from others.

3. Ohio

In modern internet slang, ‘Ohio’ often refers to something bizarre, chaotic, or surreal. Most of the time, the term is used to describe something that’s absurd or to describe unsettling situations.

4. Fanum Tax 

The term Fanum Tax was actually created by Fanum, a popular Twitch streamer of which he explained in an interview with GQ, that the term refers to a “need to share”. In another interview with Wired Magazine, the streamer shared more about how people should use the term.

“Let’s say your friend is having a meal — he’s having a good meal — and you just want a piece of that meal,” he said. “Get you a little piece of the meal — it’s the Fanum Tax.”

5. Mewing

Some may be familiar with the term ‘mewing’ – of which you’re making your jawline pop by pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. However, for Gen Alphas, they tend to say things like “Can’t talk, mewing”, while they swipe their finger down their jawline, as their go-to excuse for staying silent.

6. Pookie

Pookie is a term of endearment and is usually used to call your significant other. 

7. Mogging

‘Mogging’ is basically outshining someone in the looks department. It’s like one-upping someone in terms of physical appearance or overall attractiveness.

8. Fax

‘Fax’ is another form of saying that you’re telling the truth. When someone else says ‘Fax’, he/she is basically saying that he/she agrees with whatever you just said to the point where they would have it through fax without printing it out. 

9. Gyatt

Now some of you may know what ‘thicc’ means (which refers to someone having a big butt), but in Gen Alpha slang, they love using the word ‘Gyatt’ to refer to someone’s behind or even as a form of exclamation used to express excitement or shock such as, “Oh my Gyatt!” 

10. Negative Aura

Some of us call it bad vibes, but the younger ones love using the word ‘Negative Aura’ to describe something that’s bad or not cool. To add on, some also combine the words “aura points,” to refer to someone’s aura not as their vibe necessarily, but how cool they are. 

11. Positive Aura

Positive Aura is similar to negative aura, but with an uplifting effect that radiates warmth, optimism, and good vibes instead. 

12. Beta

Beta is simply used to describe someone who is weak. 

13. Looksmaxxing

In an era where we’re slapping ‘-maxxing’ onto every word, the new generation is now popularising the term ‘looksmaxxing’ to describe anything you do to enhance your appearance or boost your physical appeal.

14. Chad

A ‘Chad’ typically used alongside the word ‘Alpha’ is a confident, charismatic, and physically appealing man who embodies traditional leadership qualities.

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