What Does “What the Jawn” Mean?

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An in-depth look at an emerging TikTok trend

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: September 28, 2025 Fact Checked

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Jawn Meaning

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“What the Jawn” Meaning

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Origin

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Controversy

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Video

“Jawn” is a slang term native to Philadelphia, and TikTok has been obsessed ever since they discovered it. One of TikTok’s innovations has been the emergence of “what the jawn,” a new take on the slang term. This has delighted some and upset others. We’ll break down why (and cover what the phrase means in the first place) below.

“What the Jawn” Explained

“Jawn” is a slang term that can replace any noun. The term is local to Philadelphia.
“What the jawn” is a nonsense term that can communicate any emotion.
Nobody in Philly says “what the jawn,” which has led to some minor controversy over the trend on TikTok.

Section 1 of 4:

What does “jawn” mean?

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“Jawn” is Philly slang for any noun. “Jawn” is regional slang that’s exclusive to Philadelphia (and Camden, which is on the other side of the river separating Philly from New Jersey). It is a pronoun that can replace literally any noun, although it is most often used when the speaker can’t remember the specific word for something (kind of the way you might say “whatcha-ma-call it” or “thing”).^{[1]
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- Examples:
  - “Hey, pass me that jawn over there.”
  - “Look at this jawn, acting like he’s all that.”
  - “What do you call that jawn you use to change gears in a car?”
  - “This jawn was bussin. Old heads, young bouls, everyone was in there!”
- Origin: “Jawn” came to be due to the Philly accent. The word “joint” has historically been a popular slang term for places, songs, parties, etc. Philly’s accent involves dropping a lot of “o” sounds, while turning “a” sounds into “o” sounds (just listen to how they say “water”). As a result, “joint” sounded a lot like “jawn,” and the rest is history!^{[2]
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Section 2 of 4:

What does “what the jawn” mean?

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“What the jawn” is a nonsense phrase that means anything. The same way “jawn” can stand in for any noun, “what the jawn” can stand in for literally any reaction or feeling. It’s just something you’d say whenever you have a big reaction to something. It’s sort of like “oh my god!” or “holy smokes.” It could be good, bad, or totally neutral, depending on the tone and feeling you’re trying to convey.
- Examples:
  - “The doorbell just rang. It’s 4 am. What the jawn?!”
  - “What the jawn! I haven’t seen you in forever!”
  - “Wow, this is a delicious pie. Got me feeling like ‘what the jawn.’”

Section 3 of 4:

Origin of “What the Jawn”

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The phrase comes from TikTok user Devin Caherly. User @devincaherly published this video on his Instagram and TikTok in February of 2025. In it, he eats a chicken sandwich that he loves so much he jumps on the table while yelling, “What the jawn?” The video went viral with users all over the country wondering both what “jawn” and “what the jawn” mean.
- Devin also published a follow-up video explaining how to use the phrase correctly (which is in literally any way at all, it turns out).
- Devin Caherly is from Summit, New Jersey. It’s a suburb of New York City, but it’s close enough to Philly that it’s likely he picked “jawn” up organically by living on the East Coast.

Section 4 of 4:

The Controversy Behind “What the Jawn”

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Nobody in Philly would ever say “what the jawn.” It’s true that if you visit Philly, you’re going to run into “jawn” when you’re chatting up the locals. That word is actually a point of pride for the city. However, you’d never hear someone use “jawn” in a bottled phrase like “what the jawn.” It’s just not a natural thing anyone from that city would say, so Philadelphians have been a little upset about the corruption of their beloved term.^{[3]
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- It’s not that there’s anything intrinsically wrong with “what the jawn” grammatically or stylistically. It’s just not a natural way to use the word. It’s sort of like saying, “Wow, that’s so rizz,” or “I get that she’s upset, but she’s doing so much tripping”—it just doesn’t sound correct because the word is being used in an unnatural way.
- Even Jason Kelce, retired Philadelphia Eagles football center, is upset that people outside of Philly are beginning to use the word “jawn.” In a clip from his New Heights podcast, he says, “It’s not Dictionary.com’s word. It’s f****** Philadelphia’s.”
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“Jawn” is AAVE, and “what the jawn” registers as cultural appropriation. African American Vernacular English is a dialect used by many Black people in the United States. “Jawn” was popularized by the Black community of Philly, so seeing white YouTubers and TikTokers from other parts of the country use “what the jawn” in silly videos rubs some people the wrong way.^{[4]
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- There’s actually a long history of AAVE slang being adopted by mainstream culture and then completely divorced from its original meaning. “Woke,” “bro,” “bae,” and “lit” are all examples of this happening, so people aware of this phenomenon tend to call it out.^{[5]
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- This isn’t to say that you can never say “jawn” or “what the jawn,” or that you can never make videos about the phrase if you aren’t from Philly! Just be aware of the history and try to be respectful.