South Africa is world-famous for its incredible wildlife and sprawling nature reserves.

Learning the Afrikaans names for these animals will make your next safari or trip to the zoo much more rewarding.

Afrikaans has very descriptive and logical names for many animals.

Many of these names combine simple words to describe exactly what the animal looks like.

This guide covers the most important animal vocabulary you need to know in Afrikaans.

The Big Five in Afrikaans

The “Big Five” originally referred to the most difficult and dangerous African animals to track on foot.

Today, this term is used widely by safari tour guides and wildlife conservationists.

If you visit the Kruger National Park, these are the animals you’ll definitely want to spot.

Here are the names of the Big Five in Afrikaans.

Other common South African wildlife

Beyond the Big Five, the South African bush is filled with fascinating creatures.

Afrikaans is famous for giving animals highly literal and descriptive names.

A great example is the word for giraffe, which translates literally to “camel horse” (kameelperd).

Another fun one is the word for hippopotamus, which literally means “sea cow” (seekoei).

You should also know the word for springbok, which is South Africa’s national animal and the name of the national rugby team.

Farm animals and pets

You won’t only encounter wild animals when practicing your Afrikaans.

You’ll also need to know the names of common household pets and farm animals.

Many of these words share similarities with English or Dutch, making them quite easy to memorize.

Here’s a list of everyday domestic animals in Afrikaans.

Birds and reptiles

South Africa is home to a massive variety of bird and reptile species.

The most iconic bird you’ll find is the ostrich, which is native to the region.

You’ll also find plenty of dangerous reptiles in the wild, so it helps to know what to call them.

Here are a few important bird and reptile names.

How to talk about animals in Afrikaans

Now that you know the vocabulary, it helps to put these words into basic sentences.

The general word for “animal” in Afrikaans is dier, and the plural is diere.

If you want to point something out on a safari, you can use the word kyk (look).

Here are a few helpful phrases for talking about animals in Afrikaans.