How do you use "Say What?" in a sentence?

Say what? I didn't catch that. I'm getting married.' 'Say what?! Say what now? Say what—did you just say you quit?

Say What?

Q: What does "Say What?" mean?

What did you say?; expressing disbelief Informal request for repetition, or expression of surprise/disbelief at what was heard. More emphatic than simply 'what?'

Slang Term AmericanBritishAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Very Casual

Practice this with flashcards, quizzes & audio on WordLoci →

Meaning: What did you say?; expressing disbelief

你说什么？；表示难以置信

¿Qué dijiste?; expresando incredulidad

何だって？；信じられない

뭐라고?; 믿을 수 없다는 표현

Informal request for repetition, or expression of surprise/disbelief at what was heard. More emphatic than simply 'what?'

非正式地要求重复，或对听到的话表达惊讶/难以置信。比简单的'什么'更强调。

Solicitud informal de repetición, o expresión de sorpresa/incredulidad por lo escuchado. Más enfático que simplemente '¿qué?'

繰り返しを求める非公式なリクエスト、または聞いたことに対する驚き/信じられなさの表現。単純な「何？」より強調的。

다시 말해달라는 비격식적 요청이거나, 들은 내용에 대한 놀라움이나 믿을 수 없다는 표현. 단순히 '뭐?'라고 하는 것보다 더 강조된 표현이다.

Examples

Say what? I didn't catch that.
什么？我没听清。
¿Qué? No lo escuché.
え？聞こえなかった。
뭐라고? 못 들었어.
I'm getting married.' 'Say what?!
我要结婚了。' '什么？！
Me voy a casar.' '¿¡Qué!?
結婚するんだ。' 'え？！
나 결혼해.' '뭐라고?!
Say what now?
什么？你再说一遍？
¿Qué dijiste?
何だって？
뭐라고 했어?
Say what—did you just say you quit?
什么——你刚才说你辞职了？
¿Qué—acabas de decir que renuncias?
え——今辞めるって言った？
뭐라고——방금 그만둔다고 했어?

Pronunciation

/seɪ wɒt/

Usage Guide

Context: surprise, clarification, disbelief

Tone: surprised, emphatic

✓ Do Say

Say what?
什么？
¿Qué?
え？
뭐라고?
Say what?!
什么？！
¿¡Qué!?
え？！
뭐라고?!
Say what now?
什么？再说一遍？
¿Qué dijiste?
何だって？
뭐라고 했어?

✗ Don't Say

Very casual
非常随意
Muy casual
とてもカジュアル
매우 캐주얼한 표현
May seem affected if not natural to your speech
如果不是自然的说话方式可能显得做作
Puede parecer afectado si no es natural en tu habla
自然な話し方でなければ気取って見えることがある
자연스럽지 않으면 어색해 보일 수 있음

Common Mistakes

AAVE origin—use authentically
Can be clarification or surprise

Origin & History

African American Vernacular English that spread to mainstream usage. More emphatic than 'what?' alone.

Etymology: Informal 'say what (did you say)?'

First recorded: AAVE, mainstream from late 20th century

Cultural Context

Era: Late 20th century mainstream

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Common in hip-hop and urban culture; Widely used in American media

Regional notes: AAVE origin, now global. More American than British.

Variations

Say what?Say what?!Say what now?