Catch up with your ‘fellow youth’ with these Gen Z and Alpha slang!

CEBU, Philippines – Times are changing fast and technology isn’t the only thing that’s evolving.

If you’ve overheard your kid’s conversations or even attempted to “vibe” with younger siblings, it’s probably become a challenge to try and decode new words that have been inserted into their daily banter.

Some of these words may have been influenced by social media sites like TikTok. Since 2021, the entire population of users of the TikTok application has reached beyond a billion people!

It’s also worth noting that there are significant differences among generations when it comes to the level of internet exposure.

The Pew Research Center sets the chronical endpoints for Generation Z between 1997 and 2012. In those years, millennials were still on the rise to becoming massive figureheads in tech start-ups, social media slang, and even the art of selfies!

The years that followed 2012 introduced the world to better technologies and longer screen times on social media conversations for Gen Z. This change in the collective awareness of the internet is felt now more than ever, especially with the next generation, Generation Alpha, being quite literally born into it.

From streaming platforms like Twitch to gaming communities on Discord, both Gen Z and Gen Alpha have developed new ways to express themselves and oftentimes, humor the world around them.

But enough about that, let’s talk about making your life with the new generation a lot easier! Here’s 10 slang words and phrases that Gen Z and Alpha kids are now using:

Rizz

Short for “charisma,” rizz is often used to describe the attractiveness and confidence of a person when approaching others. It can be placed on the same pedestal as “swag,” which millennials have used to say that someone is “cool.”

There are also variations to the use of the word rizz. One can use an adverb to modify the kind of rizz a person gives off. For example, if a male videogamer is able to flirt and wow a female gamer, one can say he has “gamer rizz.”

The word was popularized by YouTuber and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat in 2021.

Let him cook

The phrase is often used when your friend attempts to flirt with a person they admire. This is stated to “metaphorically” give your friend space to strategize and implement his course of action.

It can also be used to hype up a person and add to the excitement of the situation.

The origin of “Let him cook” is from a YouTube video, entitled “LIL B BASED COOKING (LET THAT BOY COOK),” where YouTuber Jordan Collier pretends to cook-dance to rapper Lil B’s song.

He’s Him/She’s Her

Saying that “He’s Him” or “She’s Her” is a strong way to tell a person that they are “the chosen one” or “the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).” It’s a phrase that many sports athletes like LeBron James have used to describe themselves and fellow GOATs.

The phrase can be traced back to American rapper Kevin Gates’ song “I’m Him” that debuted at No. 4 on the US Billboard 200 chart in 2019.

Sus

In 2018, the murder-mystery video game Among Us was released and welcomed players from all over the globe, spurring memes and TikTok videos based on the game’s silly astronaut characters.

The game features two roles: crewmates and an impostor. Every “crewmate” player is assigned with tasks to do and must survive until the end of the game. One player is made the “impostor” and categorically kills each crewmate player.

Owing to the competitive nature of the game, players used “sus” to point out other players who they believe to be the impostor, who they would then. vote to terminate and win the game.

Today, the word “sus” is meant to describe persons who are conducting “suspicious activities” or have “ulterior motives.”

Ratio’d

On X (formerly Twitter), getting “ratio’d” means that a large number of people are unhappy with you or that an attempt to do something thought impressive ends in complete failure. 

This word emerged from Twitter in 2020 as users labeled posts with significantly large numbers of comments but fewer likes as “ratio’d.”

It’s giving…

The phrase “it’s giving” is used in combination with another word or phrase to describe the general vibe of an individual. In most cases, it’s used to define dramatic situations or express irony.

When we say, “It’s giving Queen,” it means that the general vibe of a person can be likened to that of royalty or luxurious circumstance. 

While the use of the phrase skyrocketed on the internet in 2021, the term actually originated from the LGBTQ+ community’s underground New York ballroom scene in the 1980s.

Fanum Tax

The slang term “Fanum Tax” is a very recent discovery by Gen Alpha and its popularity can be attributed to a Tiktok parody of the song “ecstacy” by Suicidal-Idol, where a boy sings a series of humorous Gen Alpha memes — much to the confusion of Gen Z. 

The origin of “Fanum Tax” actually comes from Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream featuring YouTuber Fanum. In the stream, Fanum took some of Cenat’s cookies and even left with them. 

Fans then started using the slang term “Fanum Tax” to describe people who basically steal your food.

Skibidi 

The word is used by Gen Alpha to start senseless conversations, most often to compete with other people over the ridiculousness of jokes that are expected to follow. 

The slang originates from a series of videos on the viral “Skibidi” song by Little Big, which is particularly famous in Russia. The song was remixed to “Give It to Me” by Timbaland.

It has now evolved into a compilation of YouTube Shorts by channel DaFuq!?Boom! that features a man’s head attached to a toilet while singing the Skibidi song.

Drippy

Calling a person “a drip” used to mean that the person is annoying. At present, Gen Z and Alpha have turned the meaning upside down and have made the slang into a word that connotes “coolness.”

In the 2000s, hip hop rappers used the word drip to describe fancy clothing and jewelry. Younger generations have decided to add “-py” to the term to exude even more flair or finesse.

No Cap

“No cap” is a slang that originated from African American communities in the 1900s. 

In a 2019 Genius video, Sharese King, a linguistics professor at the University of Chicago, theorized that the term came from “Playing The Dozens,” a game where players trade insults with each other — kind of like the “Yo Mama” jokes.

Another word for the game is capping.

The slang term, according to American rapper Willie D of the Geto Boys, has gotten an update from insulting someone or being arrogant. 

American rapper Offset explained that at present, saying “cap” means to lie, and saying “no cap” means telling the truth. – Rappler.com