Charva / Chav

About

Charva, or Chav, is a British slang term for a low-class, brash and white young man, often depicted wearing athletic, designer clothes from brands like Nike, Adidas, Under Armor and Stone Island (among others). Chavs are said to enjoy drum & bass (DNB) or UK bass music. They sport short Edgar haircuts, drink beer, do cocaine and ketamine, and ride dirt bikes. "Charva" is a lengthened version of the slang term "chav," which is used to describe the same stereotype of male, British youth. Usage of "charva" originally surfaced in the U.K. in the early 2000s, primarily used as a derogatory term. The slang is mostly associated with the towns of Newcastle and Bradford. Ultimately, its usage spread to memetic content. Charva memes specifically gained virality in 2022 and 2023, manifesting on TikTok within videos and photo slideshows in which young, British men dubbed themselves "X Charva" (inserting their nationality or race into the "X" spot), using so-called "charva music" or "charva tunes" as their TikTok sounds and often holding up one finger, known as the "charva point."

Origin

The slang term "chav" purportedly originated from the Romani words "chavy" and "chaval" that mean "child" and "boy," respectively.^[1] British linguist and professor David Crystal linked the association in a BBC^[1] linguistics piece in 2005, when the term was gaining predominant usage in British subculture according to him. He also stated that some liken the word "chav" to an abbreviation for "council house and violent," however, Crystal stated that that was a false claim. "Council house" is a type of low-income housing project in the U.K.^[2]

In the early 2000s, "chavs" were characterized as wearing Burberry tartan baseball caps and Adidas athletic wear, among other physical signifiers. Crystal described the aesthetic as "sham designer clothes."^[1] For instance, a photo taken by BBC^[3] in 2005 at a student club night at Nottingham Trent University shows one chav wearing an entirely Burberry tartan outfit (shown below).

Usage of the slang term "charva" could predate "chav" as some on Wiktionary^[5] claim that "charver" is a Romani word for "prostitute" and that "charva" purportedly means "unruly youth." However, a proper citation is needed for the claim on Wiktionary.^[5]

"Charva" became increasingly prevalent online going into the 2010s and 2020s. A definition for "charva" was first added to Urban Dictionary^[4] on April 13th, 2003, by user Jamie who stated that the term originated from the northeast part of England, specifically Newcastle, writing, "the bottom rung of the social ladder, characterised by a love of garish sportswear, cheap jewelry and Dyson hoovers." The definition gained over 70 likes in 20 years (shown below).

Spread

Usage of "charva" became increasingly viral and commonplace on social media in the 2010s, such as in Instagram^[6][7] posts and posts on X/Twitter.^[8][9] In 2019, the British rap and DNB group Bad Boy Chiller Crew began using "charva" in their songs, such as the song "450."^[10]

Despite the usage of "charva" prior to the 2020s, the slang term didn't amass predominant memetic usage until 2023, primarily surfacing on TikTok. For instance, on February 8th, 2023, TikToker^[11] @maddie_marcusmcguff posted a "POV" video reading, "you have a 14 year old charva as a brother," gaining roughly 1.1 million plays and 100,600 likes in seven months (shown below, left). On March 16th, TikToker^[12] @charvajoshynewbs posted a video with "charva" in the caption, gaining roughly 1 million plays and 113,400 likes in six months (shown below, right).

On July 16th, 2023, TikToker^[13] @david_yemi5 posted a slideshow with a U.K. garage song, showing himself pointing with his finger, parodying charva videos posted to TikTok^[14][15] earlier in the year. The slideshow received roughly 934,800 plays and 103,900 likes in two months (recording shown below).

Similar slideshows with the same format surfaced on TikTok^[16][17] going into September 2023.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References