What Does the Gen Alpha Slang Fanum Tax Mean?

“Fanum Tax” Definition & Origins

“Fanum tax” refers to food stolen from a friend. When you take a small piece of food from someone’s meal or snack, that piece of food is the tax. Collecting “fanum tax” from someone is usually done when they least expect it. Collecting “fanum tax” is meant to be a playful joke among friends, and is usually performed with comedic flair.

The slang comes from popular Twitch streamer Fanum. In December 2022, Fanum unexpectedly kicked in the door during fellow streamer Kai Cenat’s livestream and stole a plate of cookies. The joke became a running gag on Cenat’s channel. The term caught on and became so popular that Gen Z content creators began using it to playfully mock Gen Alpha slang. Cenat also posted a compilation video of Fanum stealing food to his YouTube channel in June 2023. In the last clip of the compilation video, Cenat attempts to barricade his door. When he believes Fanum is locked out, he yells, “I evaded the taxes!” and “It’s tax evasion, bro!” Streamer Fanum says that “fanum tax” isn’t about stealing. In a GQ video he said, “The tax is pretty much, you know what I’m saying, feed your friends. People confuse it like you got to take food from your friend.”

“Fanum Tax” Usage

Say “fanum tax” when you take a bite from a friend’s meal. When you jokingly take food from a friend, you’re collecting the “fanum tax.” Use the term as you take the food to announce that you’re collecting the “fanum tax” or to describe someone taking your food. “Whoa! That’s not a fanum tax, man. You took the whole sandwich!” “Come on, man. Just let me have a bite. You got to pay your fanum tax.” “I got fanum taxed. She came right in here and ate one of my tacos.”

Call someone “fanum tax” as a compliment. Less commonly, “fanum tax” is used to pay a compliment. Since the “fanum tax” is a snack, it plays on the Gen Z slang term “snack” or an attractive person. “Did you see Alyssa in that dress? That girl is so fanum tax.” “Noah got a major glow-up over the summer. He’s fanum tax now.” “A new hairstyle and a little lipgloss, and she’s fanum tax.”

Alternate Slang Phrases

“Dad Tax”: “Dad tax” is when a father steals food, drink, or candy from his children. It’s the portion of something a father is entitled to after buying it for his child, like a lick of an ice cream cone, a bite of hamburger, or a drink of soda. “My dad bought me a bag of Skittles, but he took all the red ones for the dad tax.” “Give me a drink of your Sprite, kid. It’s the dad tax.” “Dad took a bite of my ice cream, but my brother didn’t have to pay any dad tax.”

“Cheese Tax”: The “cheese tax” refers to a person or dog’s right to take a piece of cheese any time someone else gets it out of the refrigerator. It also inspired a humorous TikTok song called “The Cheese Tax” about how dogs demand cheese whenever you get it out. “The rules are the rules. You got the cheese out. Now you have to give Spot the cheese tax.” “Give me a bite of that Gouda. It’s the cheese tax.” “I was making grilled cheese when Ava ran into the kitchen, yelled “cheese tax,” and stole one of my Kraft Singles.”

“Fanum Tax” Song

“Fanum Tax” is a parody using the song "ecstacy" by SUICIDAL-IDOL. Also called “Sticking Out Your Gyatt for the Rizzler,” this song mockingly references Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang terms that are perceived as being overused. The original video got about 3.3 million plays in 4 days when it was posted in October of 2023. The video is about 15 seconds long and features TikTok user @papaboy020 singing while playing the video game Roblox. The lyrics are, “Sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler. You’re so skibidi. You’re so fanum tax. I just want to be your sigma. Freaking come here. Give me your Ohio.”

More Gen Alpha Slang

Gen Alpha has an entire language of creative slang terms. Many of these terms come from social media or gaming, and are inadvertently spread even further by older generations mocking Gen Alpha slang on TikTok. Here are a few of the most common terms: “Gyat” or “Gyatt”: “Gyatt” means an attractive backside, usually on a girl or woman. It comes from the phrase “gyatt-damn” or “goddamn.” For example: Brianna’s dress is fire. Look at the gyatt on her!” “Rizzler”: A “rizzler” is a person with charm or charisma. “Rizz” means charm, and is short for charisma. It transformed into “rizzler” to describe a charming person or someone with “game.” For example: “I’ve never seen someone so smooth. He’s a rizzler for sure.” “Skibidi”: “Skibidi” is a nonsense word that means nothing or takes on meaning from the context. Use “skibidi” as an adjective to describe or intensify the meaning of just about any other word, especially other slang terms. For example, “That’s some skibidi delulu thinking right there.” “Sigma”: A “sigma” or “sigma male” is a type of guy who’s self-reliant, confident, and individualistic. Use “sigma” to refer to nonconformist men who don’t care about social status. For example: “Joseph is so sigma. He’s cool, confident, and has zero interest in what anyone thinks about him.” “Ohio”: “Ohio” means that something is weird, but it’s not always a bad thing. Some believe this slang came from using “only in Ohio” to describe an odd occurrence or person. Use “ohio” to describe someone or something that’s creepy or cringe. For example: “My cousin is so ohio. He said he saw Bigfoot in our upstairs bathroom.”