bakkie

A bakkie is South African English for a pickup truck: a light vehicle with an open load bed at the back. Australians would call it a ute.

What bakkie means

Bakkies are everywhere in South Africa, on farms, at building sites and in suburbs, often with a canopy fitted over the back. Collins defines it as a small truck with an open body and low sides, and Wiktionary notes it’s distinct from an enclosed van or a large truck.

There’s an older meaning too. Wiktionary records bakkie from the late 19th century for a small bowl or plastic container, like a Tupperware tub. The vehicle sense came in the mid-20th century.

Examples

• “Throw the cooler box in the back of the bakkie.”
• “Can I borrow your bakkie to move a couch?”
• “Put the leftovers in a bakkie and take them home.”

Where it came from

Collins traces it to the Afrikaans bak, container, with the diminutive ending -kie. A bakkie is, quite literally, a little container, whether it holds leftovers or a load of firewood.

Related terms

• Ute: the Australian and Kiwi word for the same vehicle.
• Robot: a traffic light, South African style.
• Braai: what the bakkie is carrying supplies for.
• Takkies: sneakers.

More South African words are in our South African slang guide.