The Rice University Neologisms Database

To know. Sabi is a Portuguese derived term meaning 'to know.' It entered the Nigerian pidgin language sometime during the 16th century and facilitated communication between people of different ethnicities and cultures. For example, a Nigerian pidgin English speaker can say, “don’t worry I sabi do am,” which translates to “don’t worry I can do it.” Its usage does not involve metaphor or metonymy as it is just a substitute word for I/he/she/they/we/ “can” or cannot perform a task or duty.