Many of the words from this language are the names of animals and birds ("zebra", "chimpanzee") or are musical terms ("bongo", "funky").
| Word | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| bongo | Small African drums played with the hands. | |
| boogie | devilishly good | Dance music. One of several musical words from Kongo. |
| canary | A yellow and green bird. One of several animal words from Kongo. | |
| chimpanzee | A type of ape. | |
| funky | positive sweat | |
| gorilla | A large ape. | |
| gumbo | Soup thickened with okra pods. | |
| marimba | A musical instrument (percussion). | |
| mojo | soul | Used in USA slang for 'magic'. |
| zebra | A striped horse-like animal. In UK also a striped pedestrian crossing. | |
| zombie | The name of a snake god. |
