A Kingston street in the game. The traveler walks across the road toward Miss Hyacinth, who waves from her patty window beside a produce stall under yellow awnings.
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Kingston, First Day

Walk Kingston. Talk Patwa.

A story game for iPhone and Android that teaches Jamaican Patois through conversation.

Join the betaGet it on iPhoneGet it on AndroidTry a scene

In beta now

Get JaLingo on your phone

JaLingo is in beta on iPhone and Android. Join on the phone you play on.

iPhone

Join the iPhone beta (TestFlight)

Install TestFlight from the App Store first, then tap the link above.

Android

  1. Join the testers group
  2. Become a tester & install

Once it is on your phone, please keep JaLingo installed for 14 days: that is how long testers need to stay in before the app can open to everyone.

On a computer? Scan with your phone's camera.

QR code: iPhone beta (TestFlight)
iPhone beta (TestFlight)
QR code: Android beta, step 1
Android beta, step 1
  • The First Day street from the junction: people cross at the crosswalk, produce stalls and a taxi stand line the road, and bunting hangs across it in front of the hills.
  • A corner of the First Day street: produce stalls under red awnings, a red house behind a low wall, palms and a man in a yellow shirt on the sidewalk.
  • The taxi bays off the First Day street: a TAXI sign, a yellow lock-up kiosk with plastic chairs, a purple shop and a man in a straw hat.
  • The same corner at six o’clock, when the light turns warm and low.

How it plays

A conversation becomes practiceMeet a character, choose a reply, and revisit phrases in daily practice. This is a conceptual learning path.MeetReplyPracticeKeep the conversation going
Illustrative learning path. Meet people in the game, answer in Patwa, and return to phrases in daily practice.
  1. The game on a phone: the traveler crosses the street toward Miss Hyacinth, who waves from her patty window. The objective reads “Walk to Miss Hyacinth’s patty window”.
    Walk Kingston in real time.Devon drops you downtown. Miss Hyacinth, Maas Bertie and Miss Merlene are on the street, and the people you meet remember how you treated them.
  2. The game on a phone: Devon, the route taxi driver, says “Wah gwaan, mi friend? Yuh reach!” and four Patwa replies wait below: “Mi deh yah.”, “Respect, boss.”, “Mi soon come.” and “Move.”
    Learn by talking.Answer in Patwa first, then tap English to see what a line means.
  3. The game on a phone after the ride in: the conversation is saved, Devon is warming up and will remember how it went, with buttons to keep exploring or try a quick practice.
    Keep what you learn.People remember your conversations, and the phrases come back in daily practice. Then pick a parish on the island map and earn a stamp for your passport.

Phone captures from the current development build, November 11, 2026.

Phrases you will hear on the street

Tap a phrase to see what it means. Each one comes from a conversation in the game.

  • Wah gwaanWhat does it mean?

    What’s going on? / How are you?

    More on this phrase
  • small up yuhselfWhat does it mean?

    make room for someone else

    The standing request on a shared route taxi when it needs one more passenger to fit.

    More on this phrase
  • One stop, driva!What does it mean?

    One stop, driver!

    Called out to signal the driver to pull over — nobody stops for silence.

    More on this phrase

Fill your passport, parish by parish

Finish a parish in the app and it stamps your passport. There are 14 to collect.

Stamp credits
  • Kingston stamp: photo by yonolatengo (CC BY 2.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kingston_street,_Jamaica.jpg)
  • St. Andrew stamp: photo by Matthew.kowal (CC BY-SA 4.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fog_hangs_over_the_village_of_Section_in_the_Blue_Mountains_of_Portland_Parish,_Jamaica.jpg)
  • St. Thomas stamp: photo by pismay (CC BY-SA 3.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:For_those_who_know_-_panoramio.jpg)
  • Portland stamp: photo by Fritz Rudolf Loewa (CC BY-SA 3.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jamaica,_Rio_Grande1.JPG)
  • St. Mary stamp: photo by CaptJayRuffins (CC BY-SA 4.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Port_Maria_seafront.jpg)
  • St. Ann stamp: photo by Patricia Edwards (CC BY-SA 3.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Town_of_Ocho_Rios.JPG)
  • Trelawny stamp: photo by Fabian Tompsett (CC BY-SA 3.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cockpit_Country.jpg)
  • St. James stamp: photo by andreyss (CC BY 3.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montego_Bay_-_Sam_Sharpe_(National_Hero)_Monument_-_panoramio.jpg)
  • Hanover stamp: photo by Cuban Boy (CC0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_Street-Willy_Delisser_Boulevard.jpg)
  • Westmoreland stamp: photo by Oleg Yunakov (CC BY-SA 4.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jamaica_-_Negril_-_048.jpg)
  • St. Elizabeth stamp: photo by ingostrutz (CC BY-SA 3.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_River_%E2%80%93_Boot_mit_Safari-G%C3%A4sten_auf_dem_Black_River_(1998).jpg)
  • Manchester stamp: photo by Nigel20 (CC BY-SA 2.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mile_Gully_Mountain,_Manchester.jpg)
  • Clarendon stamp: illustration, no photograph; AI-generated (gemini-3-pro-image) from the parish's relief colors
  • St. Catherine stamp: photo by Not home (CC BY-SA 3.0); adapted: AI-generated stamp illustration derived from the photograph with gemini-3-pro-image; this stamp is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St.-Jago-de-la-Vega.JPG)

Played on the web before?

The web version of the game has moved into the app. If you signed in, your progress is saved in your account. On the account page you can sign in to keep this browser's progress with your account, download a copy, or delete your account.

Explore without installing

Where it stands

The Patwa is a draft still awaiting review by Jamaican speakers. A synthetic computer voice is off by default.

Every picture and film on this page is an unedited recording of the current development build of the game. You can also try a short conversation in your browser.