wat
/ʋɑt/
The Dutch word for "what" is wat.
wat is an interrogative pronoun used to ask questions about things or actions. In informal spoken Dutch, it is also frequently used as a filler or to mean "some", such as in the phrase wat water (some water). Additionally, wat! can be used as an interjection to express surprise.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Which one should you use?
Use wat for general questions about things or actions. If you are choosing from a specific set of options, use welk (which) instead.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ʋɑt/
Did you know?
- Using wat? by itself to ask 'What?' can sometimes come across as blunt or even rude in Dutch, depending on your tone and the social context.
- The Dutch wat is a direct linguistic cousin to the English 'what' and the German 'was', as they all descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
- Dutch speakers often use the phrase wat nu to express a sense of hopelessness or frustration, essentially asking 'Now what?' when a situation goes wrong.
Examples in context
- Wat doe je nu?What are you doing now?This sentence shows how to use wat in a question about a current action.Tatoeba #4215597 by megamanenm, translation #241947 by CK
- Doe wat u wil.Do what you wish.This sentence demonstrates the use of wat to refer to an unspecified action or thing.Tatoeba #7535666 by MarijnKp, translation #2891081 by CK
- Wat wil je nu?What do you want now?This sentence illustrates asking a question about a desire using wat.Tatoeba #7954999 by Elsofie, translation #16275 by CK
- Wat zegt u?What are you saying?
- Wat heb je gezegd?What did you say?
- Wat wilt u van me?What do you want from me?
- Wat is dat?What is that?
- Wat bedoel je?What do you mean?
- Wat kost dat?What does that cost?
- Wat wil je eten?What do you want to eat?
- Wat is je lievelingskleur?What is your favorite color?
- Wat heb je gedaan?What have you done?
- 4527 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Lucas are talking in the kitchen.
- JuliaWat is dat?What is that?
- LucasDat is een nieuwe cake.That is a new cake.
- JuliaWat smaakt het?What does it taste like?
- LucasHet smaakt naar chocolade.It tastes like chocolate.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries wat, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
