What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'What wave?'
Which one should you use?
While both mean 'what's up', '¿Qué pasa?' is slightly more common in Spain, whereas '¿Qué onda?' is more characteristic of Mexican Spanish.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿Qué onda? is an informal greeting used primarily among friends and peers. For a formal way to greet someone, you may use ¿Qué tal le va?, which translates to "How's it going?" Other informal alternatives include ¿Qué tal?, which is an informal greeting similar to the English phrase "How's it going?" and ¿Qué pasa?, which is an informal expression that translates to "What's happening?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
¿Qué onda? is a very common way to say 'what's up' in Mexico and much of Central America. In Mexico, you may also encounter ¿Qué hubo?, which translates to "What's up?" or "What happened?"
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈke ˈonda/
When do people say it?
A common response to '¿Qué onda?' when nothing much is happening is Nada, ¿y tú? (Nothing and you?).
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone, ¿Qué onda? can shift from a friendly hello to a confrontational 'What is your problem?'
- In some contexts, onda refers to a person's 'vibe' or energy. If someone has buena onda, they are considered a cool or friendly person.
- The word onda comes from the Latin unda, which means 'wave'. This is the same root that gives English the word 'undulate'.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué onda? Todo bien por aquí.What's up? Everything is good around here.
Example conversation
Two friends meeting at a park.
- Lucía¡Hola Mateo! ¿Qué onda?Hi Mateo! What's up?
- MateoHola Lucía, todo bien. ¿Y tú?Hi Lucía, everything is good. And you?
- LucíaBien también, solo estoy paseando.Good too, I'm just walking around.
- MateoQué bueno. ¡Caminemos juntos!That's great. Let's walk together!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (qué, onda) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries onda, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
