A single-word greeting that both says hello and asks how you're doing — South Africa's way of opening every casual conversation with assumed connection.
Howzit is what South Africans say when they see you — a single word that does two things at once: acknowledges your presence and asks how you're doing. It's the greeting that starts conversations in shops, on streets, between friends who haven't seen each other in weeks. The word carries South Africa's informal warmth, the kind that assumes connection rather than distance.
The greeting emerged in the 1970s as South African English developed its own voice, separate from British formality. It condensed "how is it" or "how are you doing" into something quicker, easier, more distinctly local. By the time it became widespread, it had become a marker of belonging — use it naturally and you signal you're familiar with South African life.
Responses reveal the greeting's function: people often say "sharp" (meaning fine), "lekker" (meaning great), or simply return "howzit" back. The exchange isn't about extracting detailed information — it's about maintaining connection through brief, warm acknowledgment. In some regions like the Eastern Cape, the same word flips meaning entirely: there it implies concern, suggesting something might be wrong. The greeting's flexibility shows how language bends to local needs even within the same country.