Cyberpunk 2077 is full of futuristic slang from a variety of subcultures and exploring their origins sheds light on the people of Night City.

For the cybernetic citizens of Cyberpunk 2077, futuristic slang is part of everyday conversation. The varied vernacular of Night City can be jarring at first, especially to those who are not versed in the lore of the long-running Cyberpunk roleplaying series. Thankfully, there are many resources available to decipher the dystopian dialects of Night City.

Cyberpunk 2077 is based on the lore of Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith. In fleshing out his distinctive take on the cyberpunk genre, Pondsmith outlined the classes and factions of the series' main setting, Night City. These classes, as defined in Cyberpunk 2020, each have their own set of "streetslang," a list of terms and phrases designed to help players get into character during their tabletop roleplaying session. But where does this streetslang come from in the fiction of Cyberpunk?

Most streetslang is specific to Night City's subcultures. As Night City is a dystopian noir setting, most of those subcultures are racially specific and defined by their cartoonishly over-the-top gangs. For example, the streetslang of Night City's Japanese residents naturally borrows directly from Japanese words while also referencing the Yakuza mob. This trope-heavy approach to world-building in Cyberpunk borders on the insulting, but it does help to define the various factions in this grim metropolis. Less problematically (and arguably less confusingly) many terms are borrowed from real world mob slang. For example, Night City's gangsters may get on their fellow "wise guys" (mobsters) for "ratting" (informing, snitching) on them. But the most distinct streetslang speaks volumes about the Cyberpunk series unique dark science fiction setting.

Cyberpunk Glossary - All Cyberpunk Slang Defined

Some of the terms in Cyberpunk 2077 are straightforward video game or science fiction concepts. However, familiarizing oneself with the terminology of Cyberpunk's Night City can help players immerse themselves in the futuristic setting. This is a list of the series' most common, iconic, and "apogee" streetslang:

• Apogee: The greatest. This is a real English word but it has been popularized by the space-faring Highriders.
• Borg: Cyborg. It may be used derogatorily to judge those who have undergone many cybernetic surgeries or even replaced nearly their entire bodies; technically, most people in Night City are cyborgs.
• Bourgy: Low class. Ironically, this abbreviation of "bourgeois" is analogous to today's "bougie;" it seems in the world of Cyberpunk this playfully mocking, class-conscious name for the privileged middle class has lost its original meaning and is now simply a classist insult.
• Chippin' In: To install cyberware, especially for the first time; alternately, to hook up to any machine. This is also the name of a single by Johnny Silverhand's band Samurai.
• Choom/Choombah: Chum. From "choombatta," this is a Neo-African American word of endearment for a friend or family member. It has been appropriated widely by non-Black residents of Night City as a rough synonym for "bro" or "bud."
• Corpo: Corporate employee. This Cyberpunk 2077 lifepath is a derisive term for people who are seen as corporate sellouts.
• Culture Vulture: Entertainment journalist. In the real world, this is a derisive label for someone who is annoyingly into the arts, but this Cyberpunk slang seems to be a play on reporters as ambulance chasers who profit off of publicizing tragedy.
• Deckhead: Netrunner. So-called for the cybernetic implant in their brain which lets them hack the Net.
• Dirty: Analogue, low-tech, or outdated. This derogatory Cyberpunk label may be applied to items unconnected to the Net or to anything suspiciously antiquated.
• Dock: Sexual intercourse, especially a casual hookup. See also, Output and Input.
• Dorph: Endorphins; a synthetic recreational endorphin. Hackers in Night City are known to take Dorphs to boost their performance.
• Dorpher/Dorphead: Users of Dorphs who have become reliant on the drug. Dorph gangs are often comprised of Dorphers and Dorph pushers.
• (The) Edge: The outskirts of society, the wrong side of the track, the darkness on the edge of town. Metaphorical home to Edgerunners.
• Edgerunner: Someone who lives on the Edge. May be claimed as a badge of honor or even vocation, as in the various fixers,  couriers, and mercenaries who can get things done just outside the letter of the law.
• Eddies: Money. Night City - along with what's left of America - uses European Currency. The European Currency Unit is commonly called the Eurodollar in America and EDs or Eddies for short.
• Fixer: Dealmaker. This is a real world term, and the Cyberpunk slang carries its criminal connotation.
• Flatline: Die or kill.
• Gato: Basically translates to "cool." This seems to be a borrowing from the Spanish word for cat, so it appears to be etymologically related to the phrase "cool cat."
• Gonk: Idiot or fool. This is a real world insult more common in British English.
• Handle: Nickname or professional alias. Fixers and gangsters tend to go by a Handle which is not their given name.
• Highrider: Space-dweller. Some people in the world of Cyberpunk spend most of their lives in space working on satellites or as crew on interstellar flights.
• Input: Bottom or sub. The penetrated partner in a sexual encounter, contrasted with an output.
• Jaina: Sweetie or babe. This is a real world term of endearment associated with Chicano culture; its inclusion in Cyberpunk 2077 (and the character Jackie in general) has been a subject of controversy since an early trailer.
• Joytoy: Sex worker. Can be gendered as Joyboy or Joygirl.
• Kibble: Processed food, especially government rations which resemble dry dog food because it literally is; Kibble was first created by a dog food manufacturer.
• Kibble Card: Ration card. Analogous to food stamps or EBT, many of Night City's poorest are reliant on a deteriorating welfare state which allots them low quality food.
• Linefoot: Non-Nomad. Really, only Nomads call anyone this.
• Netrunner: A specialized user of the Net. Anyone can use the Net, but Netrunners have augmented themselves to hack into the Net's Menu and traverse cyberspace with grace.
• Netpig: Netwatch. A derogatory term for the private police force which monitors the net.
• Nomad: Residents of the Badlands outside Night City. For characters in Cyberpunk 2077, this is a lifepath defined by belonging to a close-knit clan.
• Output: Top or dom. The penetrating partner in a sexual encounter, contrasted with an input.
• Ripperdoc: Cybernetic surgeons. While any doctor specializing in outfitting patients with cybernetic augmentations could be called a ripperdoc, the term carries a streetwise connotation that often denotes a practitioner who caters to Night City's criminal element.
• Rockerboy/Rockergirl: Rockstar activist. Some musical celebrities in Night City use their talents to lead social movements; their fans and comrades view them as freedom fighters, but some Corpos would call them terrorists.
• Samurai: Corporate mercenary. Also the ironic name of Johnny Silverhand's band.
• Scratch: Money. See also, Eddies.
• Screamsheets: Newspapers. The news of Cyberpunk is a bit retro-futuristic, with much media still being predominantly digital. Screamsheets are personalized to the consumer's interests.
• Solo: Lone mercenary. This roguish archetype has been with the series since the very beginning and is still a class in the tabletop games.
• Vidiot: Video game or Virtual Reality addict. Gaming and VR of the future offer an enticing escape from the harsh reality of Night City.
• Weefle: Inexperienced Netrunner.
• Zeroed: Killed. Fittingly, the last stop on this slang alphabet is also Highrider in origin, although the term is probably a reference to "zeroing" in tabletop RPGs - a player character losing all of their hit points.

Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 is a diverse, dystopian metropolis with plenty to learn and explore. Getting to know its streetslang gives gamers a crash course on its varied cultures and factions - and keeps them from being a gonk.

Next: Cyberpunk 2077's Internal Problems Explained: Why Devs Are So Mad