jandals
Jandals are what New Zealanders call flip-flops: the rubber sandals with a strap between your toes. Australians call them thongs; Americans and Brits say flip-flops.
What jandals means
Jandals are standard Kiwi summer footwear: beach, barbecue, dairy run, sometimes the supermarket and occasionally a wedding if the dress code is relaxed enough. You’ll usually hear the plural, “a pair of jandals,” though “jandal” works for one.
Examples
- “Grab your togs and jandals, we’re going to the beach.”
- “I broke a jandal halfway up the track. Bad idea.”
- “Shoes optional, jandals encouraged.”
Where it came from
Jandal is a blend of “Japanese sandal,” and it started as a trade name. New Zealand’s official history site, NZHistory, dates the jandal trademark to 1957, registered by businessman Morris Yock. The word long outgrew the brand.
Same shoe, different word depending on where you are: jandals in New Zealand, thongs in Australia, flip-flops in the US and UK, slippers in Hawaii.
Related terms
- Thongs: the Australian word for the same thing.
- Togs: swimwear.
- Chilly bin: a cooler box.
- Bach: a Kiwi holiday home.
More Kiwi words are in our New Zealand slang guide.
Example sentence
He wore jandals everywhere all summer, even to the shops.
Similar words
flip-flops, thongs
Notes
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