What's up
Meaning: A casual greeting meaning 'hello' or 'how are you?' — often not expecting a detailed answer.
'What's up' is one of the most common casual greetings in American English. It can be a genuine question about what someone is doing, but more often it's just a way to say hello. Common responses include 'not much,' 'nothing,' or simply 'what's up' back. Often shortened to ''sup.'
Examples
- Hey, what's up? I haven't seen you in forever! 嘿,最近怎么样?好久没见了!¡Eh, qué pasa! ¡Hace siglos que no te veo!よう、元気?久しぶりじゃん!야, 잘 지내? 진짜 오랜만이다!
- What's up, man? You coming to the game tonight? 哟,咋样?今晚来看球不?¿Qué pasa, tío? ¿Vienes al partido esta noche?よう、調子どう?今夜の試合来る?야, 어때? 오늘 밤 경기 올 거야?
- She texted me 'sup' at like 2 AM. 她半夜两点给我发了条消息就写了个'咋样'。Me mandó un mensaje a las 2 de la madrugada con un '¿qué tal?'.彼女、夜中の2時に「よう」ってメッセージ送ってきたんだよ。걔가 새벽 2시에 '뭐해'라고 문자 보내왔어.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: greetings, friends, casual encounters
Tone: friendly, casual
✓ Do Say
- What's up, guys?大家好啊?¿Qué pasa, chicos?よう、みんな元気?얘들아, 뭐해?
- Not much, what's up with you?没什么,你呢?Nada, ¿y tú qué tal?別に何も。そっちは?별로, 너는 어때?
✗ Don't Say
- Don't use in formal introductions — 'What's up, Mr. President' would be inappropriate不要用于正式介绍场合——对总统说'What's up'很不得体No lo uses en presentaciones formales — '¿Qué pasa, señor presidente?' sería inapropiadoフォーマルな紹介の場では使わないこと——「What's up、大統領」は不適切격식 있는 자리에서는 사용하지 말 것 — '안녕하세요, 대통령님'이라고 해야 할 상황에서 'What's up'은 부적절하다
Origin & History
Evolved from the question 'what is up?' in the early 1900s. Became a standard American greeting in the 1980s-90s, popularized further by Budweiser's iconic 'Whassup' commercial campaign in 1999.
Cultural Context
Era: 1980s onwards
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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