Street
jaara
What does jaara mean?
In Nigerian markets, jaara is the small bonus item, extra scoop, or discount a seller adds after a purchase as a goodwill gesture toward a loyal or friendly customer. It has spread from market lingo into general Nigerian slang for any small bonus or freebie in any context.
"The tomato seller gave me two extra tomatoes as jaara because I buy from her every week."
Origin
Documented by linguist Farooq Kperogi (Kennesaw State University) as a corruption of the Hausa verb 'gyara' (to fix/adjust); the shift to 'jaara' reflects the absence of the Hausa 'gy' sound cluster in most other Nigerian languages.
Frequently asked questions
What does jaara mean?
A small extra bonus or freebie given by a seller after you buy something, or more generally any little something extra thrown in for goodwill.
Is jaara only a market word?
It started as market slang but is now used generally across Nigerian Pidgin/English for any small bonus, not just in trading.
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