Wah yuh name?
Wah yuh name? is the Jamaican way to say "what is your name?"
You can also use the informal variation Yuh name weh? to achieve the same result.
What does it mean word for word?
Wah yuh name? is a literal shortening of "What is your name?", where wah replaces "what" and yuh replaces "your".
Which one should you use?
Wah yuh name? and Yuh name weh? are both informal ways to ask for a person's name.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Jamaican Patois, the copula "is" is frequently omitted in this question structure.
Did you know?
- In some communities, instead of asking for a name, a person might ask How yuh name drop?, which is a stylized, idiomatic way to inquire about one's identity.
- In Jamaica, you might hear someone respond to Wah yuh name? by stating their name followed by a title like 'Uncle' or 'Auntie' even if they are not related to you.
- While Wah yuh name? sounds like English, Jamaican Patois is a creole language. This means it blends English vocabulary with the grammatical structures of West African languages.
Examples in context
- Mi wah know, wah yuh name?I want to know, what is your name?
- Excuse mi, wah yuh name?Excuse me, what is your name?
Example conversation
Damion and Shanti meet at a local community event.
- DamionWah yuh name?What is your name?
- ShantiMi name Shanti.My name is Shanti.
- DamionNice fi meet yuh, Shanti.Nice to meet you, Shanti.
- ShantiNice fi meet yuh too, Damion.Nice to meet you too, Damion.
