bafana bafana

Questions

What does bafana bafana mean?

The men's national association football (soccer) representative team of South Africa.

Where does bafana bafana come from?

From bafana (boys), plural of the Zulu umfana. Apparently first used by journalists in Soweto in the early 1990s.

How to pronounce bafana bafana

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bafana bafana”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bafana bafana”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “bafana bafana” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.