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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "whats up" in Chinese?
怎么了
zěn me le
In Chinese, "whats up" is 怎么了 (zěn me le).
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
Aim to hit zěn me le using "zěn" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "me" kept light and neutral, then "le" kept light and neutral.
Writing and usage
怎么了 is written using hanzi. It's a phrase, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
whats up
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How to remember 怎么了
Say "zěn me le" and picture whats up at the exact same moment — that snapshot is your anchor for the word.
Related words
- good morning 早上好
- good afternoon 下午好
- good evening 晚上好
- good night 晚安
- how is it going 进展如何
- how have you been 你最近怎么样
- its nice outside today 今天外面天气很好
- the weather is nice 天气很好
- what are you doing this weekend 你这个周末打算做什么
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 怎么了
How do you pronounce 怎么了?
Aim to hit zěn me le using "zěn" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "me" kept light and neutral, then "le" kept light and neutral.
Is 怎么了 formal or casual?
怎么了 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 怎么了 used in Chinese?
怎么了 is used the same way as the equivalent English phrase. For example: (whats up).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Whats up" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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