How do you use "What's Up?" in a sentence?

What's up?' 'Not much, you? What's up—you look upset. Hey, what's up! What's up with the traffic today?

What's Up?

Q: What does "What's Up?" mean?

Hello; what's happening; what's wrong Casual greeting meaning 'hello' or 'how are you,' or a genuine question about what's happening/troubling someone. Context determines meaning.

Slang Term AmericanBritishAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Very Casual

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Meaning: Hello; what's happening; what's wrong

你好、怎么了、出什么事了

Hola; qué pasa; qué está mal

やあ、どうしたの、何かあった？

안녕; 무슨 일이야; 무슨 일 있어?

Casual greeting meaning 'hello' or 'how are you,' or a genuine question about what's happening/troubling someone. Context determines meaning.

随意的问候，意思是'你好'或'你好吗'，或者真正询问发生了什么/困扰某人的事。语境决定意思。

Saludo casual que significa 'hola' o 'cómo estás,' o una pregunta genuina sobre qué está pasando/molestando a alguien. El contexto determina el significado.

カジュアルな挨拶で「こんにちは」や「元気？」という意味、または何が起こっている/誰かを困らせているかについての本当の質問。文脈で意味が決まる。

가벼운 인사로 '안녕' 또는 '어떻게 지내?'라는 의미이거나, 무슨 일이 일어나고 있는지 또는 상대방을 괴롭히는 것이 무엇인지에 대한 진지한 질문입니다. 문맥에 따라 의미가 달라집니다.

Examples

What's up?' 'Not much, you?
怎么了？' '没什么，你呢？
¿Qué hay?' 'Nada, ¿y tú?
どうしたの？' '別に、君は？
뭐 해?' '별거 없어, 너는?
What's up—you look upset.
怎么了——你看起来不开心。
¿Qué pasa?—pareces molesto.
どうしたの——機嫌悪そう。
무슨 일이야—기분 안 좋아 보여.
Hey, what's up!
嗨，怎么了！
¡Hola, qué hay!
よう、元気？
야, 잘 지내!
What's up with the traffic today?
今天交通是怎么回事？
¿Qué pasa con el tráfico hoy?
今日の交通どうなってるの？
오늘 교통이 왜 이래?

Pronunciation

/wɒts ʌp/

Usage Guide

Context: greetings, concern, casual

Tone: casual, friendly

✓ Do Say

What's up?
怎么了？
¿Qué hay?
どうしたの？
무슨 일이야?
Hey, what's up!
嗨，怎么了！
¡Hola, qué tal!
よう、元気？
야, 잘 지내?
What's up with you?
你怎么了？
¿Qué te pasa?
どうしたの、大丈夫？
너 무슨 일 있어?

✗ Don't Say

Very casual—not for formal greetings
非常随意——不适合正式问候
Muy casual—no para saludos formales
とてもカジュアル——フォーマルな挨拶には不向き
매우 캐주얼합니다—격식 있는 인사에는 적합하지 않습니다
May need real answer if someone looks troubled
如果有人看起来有麻烦可能需要真正的回答
Puede necesitar respuesta real si alguien parece preocupado
困っているように見える人には本当の答えが必要かも
상대방이 힘들어 보이면 진짜 대답이 필요할 수 있습니다

Common Mistakes

As greeting: doesn't need detailed answer
As concern: 'what's up?' asks what's wrong

Origin & History

American casual greeting that became global. Originally asking what is 'up' (happening), it evolved into a standard greeting not requiring detailed response.

Etymology: Asking what is up (happening)

First recorded: American slang, popularized mid-20th century

Cultural Context

Era: Mid-20th century onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Bugs Bunny: 'What's up, Doc?'; Budweiser: 'Whassup!' commercials

Regional notes: American origin, now universal.

Variations

What's up?What's up!'Sup?Whassup?