Cool MateHow are you vs How you doing vs What's up?
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
How are you
How you doing
What's up?
| How are you | How you doing | What's up? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //haʊ ɑː jʊ//🇺🇸 //haʊ ɑr ju// | 🇬🇧 //haʊ jʊ ˈduːɪŋ//🇺🇸 //haʊ jə ˈduɪŋ// | 🇬🇧 //wɒts ʌp//🇺🇸 //wɑts ʌp// |
| Meaning | A way to ask someone about their well-being. | A casual way to ask someone how they are. | A casual way to ask someone how they are or what's happening. |
| Example | When I saw my friend, I asked, 'How are you?' | Hey! How you doing today? | When I saw my friend, I casually said, 'What's up?' |
| Register | Neutral | Informal | Informal |
| How common | High-frequency chunk | Top 2,000 (common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| Collocations | ask how are you, respond to how are you, say how are you, greet with how are you, casually how are you | doing well, doing fine, doing okay | What's up, buddy?, What's up, man?, What's up with that?, Hey, what's up?, So, what's up? |
| Antonyms | - | Goodbye, Farewell, See you later, Take care | - |
| Common mistakes | Saying 'How do you?' instead of 'How are you?', Using it too formally in casual settings., Forgetting to wait for a response. | Misusing in formal situations like interviews., Saying 'how you do' instead of 'how you doing'., Not responding appropriately to the greeting. | Using it in a formal meeting where a respectful greeting is expected., Misunderstanding it as a question requiring a detailed answer., Not responding appropriately with a casual reply. |
| Usage notes | Commonly used in informal and formal conversations. More personal than just saying 'Hello.' Use with friends, family, or colleagues. | Use this phrase among friends or in casual situations. It is not suitable for formal contexts like business meetings. | Used mainly in casual conversations among friends. It may not be appropriate in formal situations. |
See it in real clips
Frequently asked questions: How are you vs How you doing vs What's up?
What's the difference between How are you, How you doing, and What's up??
How are you: A way to ask someone about their well-being. How you doing: A casual way to ask someone how they are. What's up?: A casual way to ask someone how they are or what's happening.
Which is more formal: How are you, How you doing, and What's up??
How are you is the most formal of these.
Which is more common: How are you, How you doing, and What's up??
How are you is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
How are you: When I saw my friend, I asked, 'How are you?' How you doing: Hey! How you doing today? What's up?: When I saw my friend, I casually said, 'What's up?'
Can I use How are you, How you doing, and What's up? interchangeably?
Not always. How are you, How you doing, and What's up? are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.