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5 Common Kiwi Expressions
Here are five common Kiwi expressions and how to use them in everyday conversation.
"No worries" is used:
To respond to a “thank you” to say that helping was not a problem for you.
A: Thanks for your help today!
B: No worries! I’m always happy to help.
When someone says “sorry”, you can say “no worries” to show that you’re not upset.
A: So sorry I’m late!
B: No worries! I was a bit late too.
To show you are happy to do something.
A: Can you stay a little longer today?
B: Yeah - no worries.
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"Good on you" is used to say “well done” - to acknowledge someone has done something well or done a good job. You can change the pronoun to him, her, or them - depending on who you are talking about.
These are pronounced as: ‘Good onya’, ‘Good onim’, ‘Good oner’, ‘Good on them’.
A: I've been trying to walk to work instead of driving.
B: Nice. Good on you.
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"Aye" is used:
At the end of a sentence to seek agreement or confirmation.
A: There’s a rugby game on today, aye?
To say “you know?”*.
A: I’m not sure what to do, aye.
*In this context, “aye” helps soften the statement and makes it sound less abrupt. It invites shared understanding, sympathy, or acknowledgement from the listener.
Note: There are a few different spelling options for this word - 'aye', 'ay' and 'eh'.
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"She'll be right" is used to say that everything will be okay, even if there’s a small problem. People use them to show they’re relaxed and not too worried - a very Kiwi attitude!
In this case, "she" means "it". You can also say “we’ll be right” when talking about yourself and someone else.
A: The car’s making a funny noise.
B: Don’t worry. She’ll be right.
A: The weather’s not great. I’m not sure about driving.
B: We’ll be right. We can just leave early and take it slow.
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"Stoked" is an adjective used to say that someone is really happy or excited about something.
A: Our team won the final!
B: Yeah I’m so stoked. We worked so hard for that!
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