What’s Up in Different Languages: 70 Ways to Greet People Around the World

Want to learn how to say “what’s up” in different languages?

If you are chatting with international friends, traveling abroad, or learning a new language, knowing casual greetings can help you start conversations naturally and confidently.

“What’s up?” is an informal English expression used to greet someone, ask how they are doing, or find out what is happening.

Depending on the situation, it can mean “How are you?”, “What’s happening?”, or “What are you doing?”

However, not every language has an exact equivalent.

Some languages use a casual greeting, while others use a phrase that asks how someone is doing or what they are doing.

Understanding these differences helps you choose the right expression for everyday conversations.

In this guide, you will discover what’s up in 70 different languages, including native phrases, easy English pronunciations, example sentences, and their English meanings.

What’s Up in Different Languages: Quick Translations

Here are some popular ways to say “What’s up?” around the world.

Language	Native Phrase	English Meaning
Spanish	¿Qué pasa?	What’s up?
French	Quoi de neuf ?	What’s new?
German	Was geht?	What’s up?
Italian	Che si dice?	What’s happening?
Portuguese	E aí?	What’s up?
Dutch	Hoe gaat het?	How’s it going?
Arabic	شو الأخبار؟	What’s the news?
Hindi	क्या हाल है?	How are things?
Urdu	کیا حال ہے؟	How are things?
Chinese (Mandarin)	最近怎么样？	How have you been lately?
Japanese	元気？	How are you?
Korean	잘 지내?	How are you doing?
Russian	Как дела?	How are things?
Turkish	Ne haber?	What’s up?
Indonesian	Ada apa?	What’s up?

These phrases are useful starting points for informal conversations. Some are direct equivalents of “What’s up?”, while others are more naturally understood as “How are you?” or “What’s new?”

How to Say What’s Up in Different Languages: 70 Languages

The following table includes 70 languages from Europe, Asia, Africa, and other regions. Each entry provides a commonly used conversational phrase, an approximate pronunciation, and an example showing how it can be used.

The phrases are generally informal. Actual usage can vary by region, age, relationship, and context. In some languages, the most natural equivalent is a greeting rather than a literal translation.

No.	Language	Native Phrase	Easy English Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
1	English	What’s up?	Wuts up	Hey, what’s up?	Hey, what’s happening?
2	Spanish	¿Qué pasa?	Keh PAH-sah	¡Hola! ¿Qué pasa?	Hi! What’s up?
3	French	Quoi de neuf ?	Kwah duh NUF	Salut, quoi de neuf ?	Hi, what’s new?
4	German	Was geht?	Vahs gayt	Hey, was geht?	Hey, what’s up?
5	Italian	Che si dice?	Keh see DEE-cheh	Ciao, che si dice?	Hi, what’s happening?
6	Portuguese	E aí?	Ee ah-EE	E aí, tudo bem?	What’s up, everything good?
7	Dutch	Hoe gaat het?	Hoo khaht het	Hé, hoe gaat het?	Hey, how’s it going?
8	Afrikaans	Hoe gaan dit?	Hoo khahn dit	Haai, hoe gaan dit?	Hi, how’s it going?
9	Swedish	Hur är läget?	Hoor air LEH-get	Hej, hur är läget?	Hi, how are things?
10	Norwegian	Hva skjer?	Vah share	Hei, hva skjer?	Hey, what’s happening?
11	Danish	Hvad så?	Vath soh	Hej, hvad så?	Hey, what’s up?
12	Icelandic	Hvað segirðu gott?	Kvath SAY-eer-thoo goht	Hæ, hvað segirðu gott?	Hi, how are you?
13	Finnish	Mitä kuuluu?	MEE-tah KOO-loo	Hei, mitä kuuluu?	Hi, how are you?
14	Estonian	Mis toimub?	Miss TOI-moob	Tere, mis toimub?	Hi, what’s happening?
15	Latvian	Kā iet?	Kah yet	Sveiki, kā iet?	Hello, how’s it going?
16	Lithuanian	Kaip sekasi?	Kipe seh-KAH-see	Labas, kaip sekasi?	Hi, how are you doing?
17	Polish	Co słychać?	Tso SWIH-hatch	Cześć, co słychać?	Hi, what’s up?
18	Czech	Co je nového?	Tso yeh NO-veh-ho	Ahoj, co je nového?	Hey, what’s new?
19	Slovak	Čo nové?	Cho NO-veh	Ahoj, čo nové?	Hi, what’s new?
20	Slovenian	Kaj dogaja?	Kyeh doh-GAH-yah	Živjo, kaj dogaja?	Hey, what’s happening?
21	Croatian	Što ima?	Shtoh EE-mah	Bok, što ima?	Hi, what’s up?
22	Serbian	Шта има?	Shtah EE-mah	Ћао, шта има?	Hey, what’s up?
23	Bosnian	Šta ima?	Shtah EE-mah	Zdravo, šta ima?	Hi, what’s up?
24	Bulgarian	Какво става?	Kahk-VOH STAH-vah	Здрасти, какво става?	Hey, what’s happening?
25	Macedonian	Што има?	Shto EE-mah	Здраво, што има?	Hi, what’s up?
26	Russian	Как дела?	Kahk dee-LAH	Привет, как дела?	Hi, how are things?
27	Ukrainian	Як справи?	Yak SPRAH-vy	Привіт, як справи?	Hi, how are you?
28	Belarusian	Як справы?	Yak SPRAH-vy	Прывітанне, як справы?	Hello, how are things?
29	Greek	Τι λέει;	Tee LEH-ee	Γεια, τι λέει;	Hey, what’s up?
30	Romanian	Ce mai faci?	Cheh my fach	Salut, ce mai faci?	Hi, how are you?
31	Hungarian	Mi újság?	Mee OOY-shahg	Szia, mi újság?	Hi, what’s new?
32	Albanian	Ç’kemi?	Chkeh-mee	Përshëndetje, ç’kemi?	Hello, what’s up?
33	Turkish	Ne haber?	Neh hah-BEHR	Selam, ne haber?	Hey, what’s up?
34	Azerbaijani	Nə var, nə yox?	Nah vahr, nah yokh	Salam, nə var, nə yox?	Hi, what’s up?
35	Uzbek	Nima gap?	Nee-mah gahp	Salom, nima gap?	Hi, what’s up?
36	Kazakh	Не жаңалық?	Neh zha-nyh-LYK	Сәлем, не жаңалық?	Hi, what’s new?
37	Kyrgyz	Эмне жаңылык?	Em-neh zha-nyh-LYK	Салам, эмне жаңылык?	Hi, what’s new?
38	Tajik	Чӣ хабар?	Chee kha-BAR	Салом, чӣ хабар?	Hi, what’s up?
39	Persian	چه خبر؟	Cheh kha-BAR	سلام، چه خبر؟	Hi, what’s up?
40	Arabic	شو الأخبار؟	Shoo il-akh-BAAR	مرحبا، شو الأخبار؟	Hello, what’s the news?
41	Hebrew	מה נשמע?	Mah nish-MAH	היי, מה נשמע?	Hey, how are things?
42	Urdu	کیا حال ہے؟	Kya haal hai	سلام، کیا حال ہے؟	Hi, how are you?
43	Hindi	क्या हाल है?	Kya haal hai	अरे, क्या हाल है?	Hey, how are things?
44	Bengali	কী খবর?	Kee kho-BOR	আরে, কী খবর?	Hey, what’s up?
45	Punjabi	ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ?	Kee haal hai	ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ, ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ?	Hello, how are you?
46	Gujarati	શું ચાલે છે?	Shun CHAA-le chhe	કેમ છો, શું ચાલે છે?	How are you, what’s going on?
47	Marathi	काय चाललंय?	Kai CHAAL-lay	अरे, काय चाललंय?	Hey, what’s going on?
48	Nepali	के छ?	Keh chha	नमस्ते, के छ?	Hello, what’s up?
49	Sinhala	කොහොමද?	Koh-hoh-mah-dah	ආයුබෝවන්, කොහොමද?	Hello, how are you?
50	Tamil	என்ன விஷயம்?	En-na vee-SHA-yam	வணக்கம், என்ன விஷயம்?	Hello, what’s the matter?
51	Telugu	ఏంటి సంగతి?	Ayn-tee sahn-GAH-tee	హాయ్, ఏంటి సంగతి?	Hi, what’s up?
52	Kannada	ಏನು ಸಮಾಚಾರ?	Eh-noo sah-MAA-chaara	ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ, ಏನು ಸಮಾಚಾರ?	Hello, what’s the news?
53	Malayalam	എന്തൊക്കെയുണ്ട്?	En-thok-ke-yoondu	ഹായ്, എന്തൊക്കെയുണ്ട്?	Hi, what’s going on?
54	Thai	เป็นไงบ้าง?	Pen ngai bahng	หวัดดี เป็นไงบ้าง?	Hi, how’s it going?
55	Lao	ເປັນແນວໃດ?	Pen naew dai	ສະບາຍດີ ເປັນແນວໃດ?	Hello, how are things?
56	Khmer	សុខសប្បាយទេ?	Sok sah-bai tei	សួស្តី សុខសប្បាយទេ?	Hello, are you well?
57	Vietnamese	Có gì mới không?	Kaw zee moy khom	Chào bạn, có gì mới không?	Hi, anything new?
58	Indonesian	Ada apa?	Ah-dah ah-pah	Hai, ada apa?	Hey, what’s up?
59	Malay	Apa khabar?	Ah-pah KHA-bar	Hai, apa khabar?	Hi, how are you?
60	Filipino (Tagalog)	Anong balita?	Ah-nong bah-LEE-tah	Uy, anong balita?	Hey, what’s the news?
61	Chinese (Mandarin)	最近怎么样？	Zui-jin zen-yang	嗨，最近怎么样？	Hi, how have you been lately?
62	Japanese	元気？	Gen-kee	やあ、元気？	Hey, how are you?
63	Korean	잘 지내?	Jal jee-nae	안녕, 잘 지내?	Hey, how are you doing?
64	Mongolian	Юу байна?	Yoo bai-na	Сайн уу, юу байна?	Hi, what’s up?
65	Burmese	ဘာထူးလဲ။	Bah too leh	ဟေး၊ ဘာထူးလဲ။	Hey, what’s new?
66	Swahili	Mambo?	Mahm-boh	Hujambo, mambo?	Hello, what’s up?
67	Amharic	ምን አዲስ ነው?	Min ah-dees new	ሰላም፣ ምን አዲስ ነው?	Hi, what’s new?
68	Yoruba	Ṣé àlàáfíà ni?	Sheh ah-laa-fee-ah nee	Pẹlẹ o, ṣé àlàáfíà ni?	Hello, is everything well?
69	Hausa	Lafiya lau?	Lah-fee-yah lau	Sannu, lafiya lau?	Hello, are you well?
70	Zulu	Kunjani?	Koon-jah-nee	Sawubona, kunjani?	Hello, how are you?

Note: The English pronunciations are simplified guides, not exact phonetic transcriptions. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other languages may have sounds, tones, or regional expressions that are difficult to represent fully in English spelling.

What Does “What’s Up?” Really Mean?

“What’s up?” is a casual greeting that can serve several purposes. Its meaning depends on the conversation and the relationship between the speakers.

Here are three common uses:

• Asking how someone is doing: “Hey, what’s up?” can be another way of asking how a friend feels.
• Asking what is happening: You might use it when you notice something unusual or enter a busy room.
• Starting a conversation: Friends often use it as a relaxed opening without expecting a detailed answer.

In other languages, a phrase equivalent to “How are you?” may be more natural than a literal translation. That is why learning the context of each expression is just as important as memorizing the words.

Casual Greetings vs. Formal Greetings Around the World

Not every version of “What’s up?” is appropriate for every situation. Some phrases are best used with friends, classmates, siblings, or people you know well.

For example, German Was geht? and Spanish ¿Qué pasa? are informal expressions. In Japanese, 元気？ is a casual way to ask how someone is doing, while a more polite expression may be better when speaking with a stranger or an older person.

When choosing a greeting, consider these guidelines:

• With friends: Use relaxed, familiar expressions.
• With new acquaintances: Choose a neutral greeting and a polite question.
• At work: Follow the local level of formality.
• When traveling: Start politely if you are unsure, then adapt to the other person’s style.

Understanding formality helps you sound more natural and avoid unintentionally appearing too familiar.

Popular Slang Expressions for “What’s Up?”

English has several informal expressions that carry a similar meaning. Other languages also have local slang and conversational greetings.

English Expression	Meaning	When to Use It
What’s up?	What is happening?	Casual, everyday greetings
What’s new?	Has anything changed?	Catching up with friends
How’s it going?	How are things?	Friendly conversations
What’s going on?	What is happening?	Greetings or asking about a situation
How have you been?	How are you lately?	Meeting someone after a while
What’s happening?	What is going on?	Informal conversations
How’s everything?	Is everything going well?	Checking in with someone

These expressions are similar, but they are not always interchangeable. For example, “What’s going on?” can sound like a genuine question about an event, while “What’s up?” often works simply as a greeting.

How to Learn “What’s Up” in Different Languages Quickly

Learning 70 translations may seem challenging, but a simple practice routine makes it manageable.

1. Choose five languages at a time. Focus on languages you hear often or want to learn.
2. Practice speaking aloud. Repeat each greeting slowly before trying it at normal speed.
3. Memorize the whole phrase. Learning a greeting as a complete expression is often easier than translating each word individually.
4. Use a realistic situation. Imagine greeting a friend, meeting a classmate, or starting a conversation while traveling.
5. Review older phrases. Test your memory after one day, three days, and one week.
6. Pay attention to formality. Learn whether a phrase is appropriate for friends, strangers, or professional settings.

For an extra challenge, learn a natural response to each greeting, such as “I’m good,” “Not much,” or “Everything is fine.” This will help you move beyond greetings and begin real conversations.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you say “What’s up?” in different languages?

Some common translations include ¿Qué pasa? in Spanish, Was geht? in German, Ne haber? in Turkish, क्या हाल है? in Hindi, and 最近怎么样？ in Mandarin Chinese. The best equivalent depends on the language and situation.

2. What is the most common way to say “What’s up” around the world?

There is no single expression used worldwide. Many languages use a casual question meaning “How are you?”, “What’s new?”, or “What’s happening?” rather than a direct translation of the English phrase.

3. How do you say “What’s up?” in Spanish, French, and German?

In Spanish, you can say ¿Qué pasa? In French, a common option is Quoi de neuf ? In German, friends may say Was geht? These expressions are informal and suitable for many casual conversations.

4. Is “What’s up?” formal or informal?

“What’s up?” is generally informal. It is common among friends, relatives, classmates, and familiar coworkers. In formal situations, a polite greeting or a more respectful way of asking how someone is doing is usually better.

5. What is the difference between “What’s up?” and “How are you?”

“What’s up?” is usually a casual greeting or a question about what is happening. “How are you?” focuses more directly on someone’s well-being. In everyday conversation, both can be used to start a friendly interaction.

Conclusion

Learning how to say “What’s up?” in 70 different languages gives you a practical way to connect with people from different cultures. From Spanish ¿Qué pasa? and French Quoi de neuf ? to Japanese 元気？ and Swahili Mambo?, each phrase offers a different way to begin a conversation.

Start with the languages that interest you most, practice their pronunciation, and pay attention to when each expression is appropriate. A simple greeting can be the first step toward a meaningful conversation.