maanin
maanin is the Jamaican word for morning.
The word refers to the part of the day between dawn and midday.
Meaning: part of the day between dawn and midday (noun)
Which one should you use?
You may also see the variations Mahnin and Mawnin used to express the same meaning.
When do people say it?
In slang expressions, you might hear someone say "Wha gwan? Mawnin'" to mean "What's going on? Morning!"
Did you know?
- Using the standard English 'morning' instead of maanin in a casual setting can be interpreted as a sign of social distance or superiority.
- The phonetic spelling of maanin captures a feature called 'vowel shifting' common in Jamaican Patois, where the 'or' sound in 'morning' transforms into an 'ah' or 'aa' sound.
- The term early mawnin carries a specific social weight in Jamaica. It is often used to describe a time that is not just early, but specifically inconvenient or excessively early for the task at hand.
Examples in context
- Mawnin, sah/miss.Good morning, sir/madam.
- Mek yuh mawnin be nice.Have a great morning
- De maanin hot today.The morning is hot today.
- Mi deh deh early inna de maanin.I was there early in the morning.
- Mi drink mi coffee every maanin.I drink my coffee every morning.
Example conversation
Tanesha and Ricardo are greeting each other on the street.
- TaneshaGud maanin, Ricardo!Good morning, Ricardo!
- RicardoMaanin, Tanesha. How yuh stay?Morning, Tanesha. How are you?
- TaneshaMi deh yah, jus' a walk.I'm alright, just walking.
- RicardoAlright den, mek mi go.Alright then, let me go.
