What does braai mean?
Braai (pronounced roughly "bry") is a distinctly South African word meaning both a barbecue — the cooking of meat over an open wood or charcoal fire — and the convivial social gathering that surrounds it. It functions as both noun and verb: one can attend a braai, own a braai, or braai a rack of ribs. More than a synonym for barbecue, the term evokes a specific cultural ritual central to South African life, cutting across communities and often described as a unifying national tradition; Heritage Day each September is popularly dubbed Braai Day for exactly this reason. Typical fare includes boerewors sausage, steak, lamb chops, and sosaties, cooked low and slow over real coals rather than gas. Borrowed into South African English from Afrikaans, the word has travelled with South Africans abroad and now appears in international food writing. For visitors and newcomers alike, being invited to a braai is both a meal and an initiation into a cherished way of gathering.
An outdoor barbecue in the South African tradition — the apparatus, the event, or the grilled meat itself.
"Everyone brought salads to the Saturday braai."
Pluralized regularly as 'braais'; the compound 'braaivleis' refers specifically to the grilled meat.
To cook (meat) over an open coal or wood fire, South African barbecue-style.
"He braaied the snoek over the coals until the skin crisped."
Inflected forms are braais, braaied, and braaing.
Regular plural formation; used when referring to multiple barbecue events or grills.
"Summer weekends in Cape Town are filled with beach braais."
In South Africa, Heritage Day is so universally celebrated with a braai that it's popularly renamed 'Braai Day' — proof that one word can carry a whole national identity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of braai
Braai entered South African English by borrowing from Afrikaans, where it originated as a shortening of braaivleis ('grilled meat'). The Afrikaans verb braai descends from Dutch braden, meaning 'to roast', which shares its Germanic roots with German braten. The word became entrenched in South Africa through centuries of outdoor meat-cooking tradition and remains one of the most recognizable markers of South African vocabulary worldwide.
Related word forms
How braai is actually used
Informal and warmly convivial in register; the word carries strong cultural connotations of South African social life, hospitality, and national identity. Using it outside Southern Africa usually signals awareness of South African culture.
Easily confused with braai
A braid is an interwoven length of hair or fabric, while a braai is a South African barbecue or the act of grilling meat over coals.