你在干嘛？
Nǐ zài gàn má?
The English phrase 'wyd' can be translated into Chinese as 你在干嘛？ (Nǐ zài gàn má?)
The phrase is used to ask someone about their current activity. The component 干嘛 is a colloquial way to say 'doing what' or 'what for'. Depending on the tone, 干嘛 can also be used as a standalone question to mean 'Why?' or 'What's the matter?'
What does it mean word for word?
The term 干嘛 means 'what/doing what'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual texting, the subject 你 (you) is often dropped, leaving just 在干嘛？ to mean 'wyd?'
How do you pronounce it?
Nǐ zài gàn má?
Did you know?
- In digital slang, Chinese users often use the number '666' after a response to 你在干嘛？ if the person is doing something impressively skillful.
- In very intimate relationships, 干嘛 can be said with a trailing tone to act as a soft, flirtatious way of asking for attention.
- The character 干 in 干嘛 is often replaced by its homophone 幹 in traditional writing systems, though the spoken sound remains the same. This is a common way to represent colloquialisms in text.
Examples in context
- 喂，你在干嘛？wèi, nǐ zài gàn ma?Hey, what are you doing?
Example conversation
A casual text message exchange between two friends.
- 雨婷 Yuting你在干嘛？nǐ zài gàn ma?What are you doing?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我在看电影。wǒ zài kàn diànyǐng.I am watching a movie.
- 雨婷 Yuting真的吗？我也想看。zhēn de ma? wǒ yě xiǎng kàn.Really? I want to watch it too.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那一起看吧。nà yìqǐ kàn ba.Then let's watch it together.
