Yardie
/ YAH-dee /Quick answer: Yardie (pronounced YAH-dee) is a Jamaican — someone from ‘yaad’.
What does Yardie mean?
A yardie is a Jamaican person, especially one from or living in Jamaica. It comes from yaad (yard), which means home — and to Jamaicans abroad, Jamaica itself.
Where does Yardie come from?
Yaad means home or one’s yard. Jamaicans overseas call Jamaica ‘yaad’, so a ‘yardie’ is someone from there. In 1980s British media ‘Yardie’ was also used for Jamaican gangs, so the word can carry that meaning abroad; at home it’s simply a proud name for a Jamaican.
How to use Yardie
‘Mi a go a yaad’ means ‘I’m going home (to Jamaica)’. Yaad food is home cooking.
| Jamaican Patois | English |
|---|---|
| Yuh can tell seh him a yardie. | You can tell he’s Jamaican. |
| Mi a go a yaad fi Christmas. | I’m going home to Jamaica for Christmas. |
| Big up all di yardie dem a farrin! | Shout-out to all the Jamaicans abroad! |
Other spellings
Because Patois is mostly spoken, spellings vary. You may also see: yaadie, yaad, yard man.
Related Patois words
Yaad · Yaad man · Yaadie gyal · Farrin
Frequently asked
Is yardie offensive?
In Jamaica it’s a proud name for a Jamaican; abroad it can sometimes imply gang links, so context matters.
What does ‘going to yard’ mean?
Going home — to Jamaica.
Look up more words in the Jamaican Patois Dictionary, or see Yardie in the dictionary.