wah gwaan
/ˈwɑː ˈɡwɑ̃/
In Jamaican, "how you doing" is expressed as wah gwaan.
This phrase is used as an informal greeting to ask someone how they are or what is happening.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase wah gwaan is a contraction of the phrase meaning "what is going on".
Which one should you use?
While wah gwaan is the standard form, you may also see the variations Wha a gwaan? or Wa gwaan? which also mean "What's going on?" Additionally, How yuh stay? is an informal way to ask someone how they are doing.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Wah gwaan is a highly informal greeting used among friends and peers.
How does it change in a sentence?
In these expressions, yuh is the Jamaican Patois equivalent of "you".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈwɑː ˈɡwɑ̃/
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with wah gwaan, a common response is mi deh yah, which literally means "I am here" but implies "I am doing okay". Another common response is everything criss, which means "everything is fine".
Did you know?
- While wah gwaan is a greeting, the word gwaan is also used as a command to tell someone to keep going or to behave themselves.
- In Jamaica, the response mi deh yah can be used to signal a sense of resilience and survival even during difficult times.
- The popular response everything criss uses the word 'criss' to mean 'fine' or 'excellent', a slang term used to describe something that is sharp or well-defined.
Examples in context
- Wah gwaan, my friend?How you doing, my friend?
- Wah gwaan with the new job?How is it going with the new job?
- Wah gwaan, everything cool?How are you doing, is everything cool?
Example conversation
Damion and Shanice meet on a street in Kingston.
- DamionWah gwaan, Shanice?How you doing, Shanice?
- ShaniceEverything good, Damion. Wah gwaan wid you?Everything is good, Damion. How are you doing?
- DamionMi deh yah, just a work.I'm here, just working.
- ShaniceRespect, catch you later.Respect, catch you later.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry wah gwaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
