Sohn "Joo" Spelin fi Joolai

joo1 n. dew.
Joo midi jrap hevi laas nait.
Dew was falling heavily last night.


joo2 adj. due.
Noh wori, Jani wahn geh egzakli weh joo ahn.
Don't worry, Johnny will get exactly what's due him.


Joo n. Jew.
Dehn kaal pipl weh kohn fahn Izrel Joo.
They call people who come from Israel Jews.


Joo Bwai n. Jamaican male. Slang.
Mi daata hozban kohn fahn Jumayka, soh evribadi kaal ahn Joo Bwai.
My daughter's husband comes from Jamaica, so everybody calls him Joo Boy.
[Probably comes from a shortened form of the Belizean pronunciation of Jamaica as 'Jumayka']


joofish n. jewfish; a large edible saltwater fish, largest of the grouper family; also known as sea bass. Epinephelus itajara.
Joofish nais fi mek fish baalz.
The Jewfish is good for making fish balls.


Joolai n. July.
Kyamp da aalwayz di sekant week eena Joolai.
Camp is always the second week of July.


joos n. juice.
Di gyal di sel areenj joos da maakit.
The girl sells orange juice in the market.


joosi adj. juicy.
Dehnya mango joosi joosi.
These mangos are very juicy.


joota n. shoe.
Big joota, smaal joota, da aal di sayhn ting.
Big shoes, little shoes, it's all the same thing.
See: shooz. [<Hindi 'juutaa' a shoe]


jooti n. duty.
Da wi jooti fi rispek wi ma ahn pa dehn.
It's our duty to respect our parents.


Aal a dehnya sentens kohn fahn di Kriol-Inglish dikshineri.




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Kriol is the language spoken by many Belizeans, especially the Creole people of Belize. Although it is often perceived as a dialect of English, it is indeed it's own language with grammar and spelling rules. The National Kriol Council of Belize was created to promote the culture and language of the Kriol people of Belize, as well as harmony among all the ethnic groups of Belize. Please visit the website of the National Kriol Council of Belize for lots of good information about the Kriol language and the Creole people.


The Kriol Council has been kind enough to send us the weekly "Weh Wi Ga Fi Seh" column that is usually published in the Reporter.


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