Jawn /jôn/(n.) is a noun that is used in
Philadelphia, PA (and the rest of the Delaware Valley) that is supposed to take the place of a person, place, thing, event, or idea/thought if you
don't know the name of it - essentially, Jawn means noun.
The way to use it is when you
don't know the name of someone, somewhere, something, or some thought, you say "jawn" in its place. It's similar to how you might use the word joint in New York (actually, that's kinda where jawn came from).
Ex. 1
Normal Sentence: I need to go to the
store to buy some ground beef for the cookout down the street at James's house.
Philly Sentence: I need to go to the store to buy some of that ground Jawn for the Jawn down the street at James's house.
Ex. 2
Normal Sentence: You see the bad
chick that just moved in?
Philly Sentence: You see that bad Jawn that just moved in?
Ex. 3
Normal Sentence: Did you see that WAWA got a new sandwich for
sale?
Philly Sentence: Did you see the WAWA got a new Jawn for sale?
Ex. 4:
Normal sentence: I'm gonna
miss this bus!
Philly Sentence: I'm gonna
miss this Jawn!
Note: Jawn doesn't have to be capital.