What’s Up in Different Languages? Natural Ways to Say It

Wondering how to say “what’s up?” in different languages? This casual English greeting is commonly used to ask someone how they are, what they are doing, or whether anything interesting is happening. Unlike a formal question such as “How are you?”, “What’s up?” is friendly, relaxed, and often used between friends, classmates, coworkers, and family members.

Below, you’ll find 70 different languages, including the native phrase, an easy English pronunciation, and a short example showing how the expression can be used naturally.

What Does “What’s Up?” Mean?

“What’s up?” is an informal greeting or question. Depending on the situation, it can mean:

• How are you?
• What are you doing?
• What is happening?
• Is everything okay?
• What’s new?

The exact translation can vary because some languages use a phrase equivalent to “How are you?” while others use a phrase closer to “What is happening?”

“What’s Up” in Different Languages: 70 Translations

#	Language	Native phrase	Easy English pronunciation	Example sentence	English meaning
1	Spanish	¿Qué pasa?	keh PAH-sah	¡Hola! ¿Qué pasa?	Hi! What’s up?
2	French	Quoi de neuf ?	kwah duh NERF	Salut, quoi de neuf ?	Hey, what’s up?
3	German	Was geht?	vahs GATE	Hey, was geht?	Hey, what’s up?
4	Italian	Che succede?	keh soo-CHEH-deh	Ciao, che succede?	Hi, what’s up?
5	Portuguese	O que está rolando?	oo keh stah ho-LAHN-doo	O que está rolando por aí?	What’s going on over there?
6	Dutch	Wat is er aan de hand?	vaht iss er ahn duh hahnt	Hé, wat is er aan de hand?	Hey, what’s up?
7	Swedish	Vad händer?	vahd HEN-der	Hej, vad händer?	Hey, what’s up?
8	Norwegian	Hva skjer?	vah SHARE	Hei, hva skjer?	Hi, what’s up?
9	Danish	Hvad sker der?	vel SKEHR dare	Hej, hvad sker der?	Hey, what’s happening?
10	Finnish	Mitä kuuluu?	MEE-tah KOO-loo	Hei, mitä kuuluu?	Hi, how are you?
11	Icelandic	Hvað segirðu?	kvath SAY-yir-thoo	Hæ, hvað segirðu?	Hi, what’s up?
12	Irish	Cad atá ar bun?	kahd ah-taw ar bun	Dia dhuit, cad atá ar bun?	Hello, what’s going on?
13	Welsh	Sut mae?	sit my	Helo, sut mae?	Hello, how are you?
14	Polish	Co słychać?	tso SWIH-hach	Cześć, co słychać?	Hi, what’s up?
15	Czech	Co se děje?	tso seh DYEH-yeh	Ahoj, co se děje?	Hi, what’s happening?
16	Slovak	Čo sa deje?	cho sah DEH-yeh	Ahoj, čo sa deje?	Hi, what’s happening?
17	Slovenian	Kaj dogaja?	kye doh-GAH-yah	Živjo, kaj dogaja?	Hi, what’s up?
18	Croatian	Što ima?	shtoh EE-mah	Bok, što ima?	Hi, what’s up?
19	Serbian	Šta ima?	shtah EE-mah	Ćao, šta ima?	Hi, what’s up?
20	Bosnian	Šta ima?	shtah EE-mah	Zdravo, šta ima?	Hello, what’s up?
21	Bulgarian	Какво става?	KAK-voh STAH-vah	Здравей, какво става?	Hello, what’s up?
22	Macedonian	Што има?	shtoh EE-mah	Здраво, што има?	Hi, what’s up?
23	Russian	Что нового?	shtoh NOH-vuh-vuh	Привет, что нового?	Hi, what’s new?
24	Ukrainian	Що нового?	shcho NOH-vo-ho	Привіт, що нового?	Hi, what’s new?
25	Belarusian	Што новага?	shtoh noh-VAH-hah	Прывітанне, што новага?	Hello, what’s new?
26	Lithuanian	Kas naujo?	kahs NOW-yoh	Labas, kas naujo?	Hi, what’s new?
27	Latvian	Kas jauns?	kahs yowns	Sveiki, kas jauns?	Hello, what’s new?
28	Estonian	Mis toimub?	miss TOY-moob	Tere, mis toimub?	Hi, what’s going on?
29	Hungarian	Mi újság?	mee OOY-shahg	Szia, mi újság?	Hi, what’s up?
30	Romanian	Ce mai faci?	cheh my fach	Salut, ce mai faci?	Hi, how are you?
31	Greek	Τι κάνεις;	tee KAH-nees	Γεια, τι κάνεις;	Hi, how are you?
32	Albanian	Ç’kemi?	CHEH-mee	Përshëndetje, ç’kemi?	Hello, what’s up?
33	Armenian	Ի՞նչ կա։	inch kah	Բարև, ի՞նչ կա։	Hi, what’s up?
34	Georgian	რა ხდება?	rah HDEH-bah	გამარჯობა, რა ხდება?	Hello, what’s happening?
35	Turkish	Ne haber?	neh hah-BEHR	Selam, ne haber?	Hi, what’s up?
36	Azerbaijani	Nə var, nə yox?	nah var, nah yokh	Salam, nə var, nə yox?	Hi, what’s up?
37	Persian	چه خبر؟	cheh KHA-bar	سلام، چه خبر؟	Hi, what’s up?
38	Arabic	ما الأخبار؟	ma al-akh-BAR	مرحبًا، ما الأخبار؟	Hello, what’s new?
39	Hebrew	מה נשמע?	mah nish-MAH	היי, מה נשמע?	Hey, what’s up?
40	Hindi	क्या चल रहा है?	kya chal RAH-ha hai	अरे, क्या चल रहा है?	Hey, what’s going on?
41	Urdu	کیا حال ہے؟	kya haal hai	ارے، کیا حال ہے؟	Hey, how are you?
42	Bengali	কী খবর?	kee KHO-bor	হ্যালো, কী খবর?	Hello, what’s up?
43	Punjabi	ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ?	kee haal hai	ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ, ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ?	Hello, how are you?
44	Gujarati	શું ચાલે છે?	shoon CHA-leh chhe	હાય, શું ચાલે છે?	Hi, what’s going on?
45	Marathi	काय चाललंय?	kay CHAL-lay	हाय, काय चाललंय?	Hi, what’s going on?
46	Nepali	के छ?	keh chha	नमस्ते, के छ?	Hello, what’s up?
47	Sinhala	මොකද වෙන්නේ?	mok-uh-dah VEH-neh	ආයුබෝවන්, මොකද වෙන්නේ?	Hello, what’s happening?
48	Tamil	என்ன விஷயம்?	en-nah VISH-uh-yam	ஹாய், என்ன விஷயம்?	Hi, what’s up?
49	Telugu	ఏంటి సంగతులు?	ayn-tee SAN-guh-too-loo	హాయ్, ఏంటి సంగతులు?	Hi, what’s up?
50	Kannada	ಏನು ಸಮಾಚಾರ?	EH-noo suh-MAH-cha-ra	ಹಾಯ್, ಏನು ಸಮಾಚಾರ?	Hi, what’s up?
51	Malayalam	എന്തുണ്ട് വിശേഷം?	en-thun-doo vi-SHEH-sham	ഹായ്, എന്തുണ്ട് വിശേഷം?	Hi, what’s new?
52	Thai	เป็นไงบ้าง?	pen ngai bahng	สวัสดี เป็นไงบ้าง?	Hi, how are you?
53	Vietnamese	Có chuyện gì vậy?	kaw chwee-en zee vay	Chào, có chuyện gì vậy?	Hi, what’s going on?
54	Indonesian	Ada apa?	AH-dah AH-pah	Hai, ada apa?	Hi, what’s up?
55	Malay	Apa khabar?	AH-pah KHA-bar	Hai, apa khabar?	Hi, how are you?
56	Filipino	Anong balita?	ah-NONG bah-LEE-tah	Hi, anong balita?	Hi, what’s new?
57	Javanese	Piye kabare?	PEE-yeh kah-BAH-reh	Halo, piye kabare?	Hello, how are you?
58	Chinese (Mandarin)	怎么样？	zěn me yàng	你好，怎么样？	Hi, how’s it going?
59	Cantonese	點呀？	dim aa	你好，點呀？	Hi, how are you?
60	Japanese	元気？	genki?	やあ、元気？	Hey, how are you?
61	Korean	잘 지내?	jal ji-nae	안녕, 잘 지내?	Hi, how are you?
62	Mongolian	Юу байна?	yoo bai-na	Сайн уу, юу байна?	Hi, what’s up?
63	Swahili	Kuna nini?	KOO-nah NEE-nee	Habari, kuna nini?	Hi, what’s up?
64	Zulu	Kwenzenjani?	kwen-zen-JAH-nee	Sawubona, kwenzenjani?	Hello, what’s going on?
65	Afrikaans	Wat gaan aan?	vut khahn ahn	Hallo, wat gaan aan?	Hello, what’s going on?
66	Amharic	ምን አዲስ ነገር አለ?	min ah-DEES neh-ger ah-leh	ሰላም፣ ምን አዲስ ነገር አለ?	Hello, what’s new?
67	Hausa	Me ke faruwa?	meh keh fah-ROO-wah	Sannu, me ke faruwa?	Hello, what’s happening?
68	Yoruba	Kí ló ń ṣẹlẹ̀?	kee lohn SHEH-leh	Ẹ n lẹ, kí ló ń ṣẹlẹ̀?	Hello, what’s happening?
69	Somali	Maxaa cusub?	ma-KHAA koo-SOOB	Salaan, maxaa cusub?	Hello, what’s new?
70	Malagasy	Inona vaovao?	ee-NOO-nah va-OO-voo	Salama, inona vaovao?	Hello, what’s new?

How to Say “What’s Up?” in Different Languages

There is no single universal translation for “what’s up?” The most natural expression depends on the language and the social situation.

For example, Spanish speakers commonly use “¿Qué pasa?”, while French speakers may say “Quoi de neuf ?”. In Japanese, “元気？” (Genki?) is closer to asking whether someone is doing well. Hindi can use “क्या चल रहा है?”, which is closer to asking what is going on.

This is why literal translations are not always the best translations. A natural phrase is usually more useful than translating every English word individually.

“What’s Up?” Around the World

The expressions above show how a simple English greeting changes across cultures. Some languages focus on what is happening, while others focus on a person’s well-being or what is new in their life.

In casual conversations, native speakers often shorten greetings, use informal forms, or choose expressions that sound more natural among friends. Context, age, relationship, and regional habits can all influence the best choice.

Formal vs. Casual Ways to Ask “What’s Up?”

“What’s up?” is generally informal in English. When speaking with someone in a professional or formal setting, alternatives such as “How are you?”, “How have you been?”, or “How is everything going?” may be more appropriate.

The same principle applies to translations. A phrase that sounds natural between close friends may not be suitable when speaking to a teacher, customer, manager, or someone you have just met.

Common Uses of “What’s Up?”

“What’s up?” can serve several purposes in everyday conversation.

As a Greeting

Someone may say “What’s up?” simply to greet a friend without expecting a detailed answer.

To Ask What Is Happening

The phrase can also ask about a current situation, especially when something unusual has happened.

To Ask About Someone’s Life

In casual conversation, it can mean something similar to “What’s new?” or “How have you been?”

To Check If Something Is Wrong

Depending on tone, “What’s up?” can also ask whether there is a problem.

Tips for Using “What’s Up?” Naturally

When learning how to say “what’s up” in different languages, remember these practical points:

• Check whether the expression is formal or informal.
• Learn the phrase in its natural context rather than translating word by word.
• Pay attention to pronunciation and rhythm.
• Use formal alternatives when speaking in professional situations.
• Notice how native speakers greet friends and family.
• Remember that regional variations are normal.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the most common meaning of “what’s up”?

“What’s up?” is a casual greeting that can mean “How are you?”, “What’s happening?”, “What are you doing?”, or “What’s new?”, depending on the context.

2. How do you say “what’s up” in Spanish?

A common Spanish equivalent is “¿Qué pasa?”, which can mean “What’s up?” or “What’s happening?” in casual conversation.

3. How do you say “what’s up” in French?

A natural casual expression is “Quoi de neuf ?”, meaning “What’s new?” It is commonly used as a friendly informal greeting.

4. Is “what’s up” formal or informal?

“What’s up?” is primarily informal. It is best suited to friends, family members, classmates, and other people with whom casual conversation is appropriate.

5. Can “what’s up” have different translations in the same language?

Yes. The best translation can change according to context, region, age, relationship, and level of formality. Some languages have expressions closer to “How are you?” while others mean “What’s happening?” or “What’s new?”

Conclusion

Learning “what’s up” in different languages is a useful way to understand everyday greetings and conversational culture around the world. The 70 translations above show that the most natural equivalent is not always a literal translation. Some expressions ask what is happening, some ask how someone is doing, and others ask what is new.

Whether you are studying languages, traveling, communicating with international friends, or simply exploring “what’s up” translations, learning these natural expressions can make everyday conversations more friendly and authentic.