“How You Doing” Meaning, Origin and Examples

“How you doing?” is a phrase you will hear or probably have heard on an almost daily basis. If you already don’t know about this phrase, you can cure your curiosity here. Here you will find the meaning of this question and information about its origin if there is any specific information available. You will also see the phrase used in proper examples of sentences and conversations so you can learn better how to use the phrase for yourself. Lastly, you will discover some alternative ways to say this phrase while still conveying the same meaning.

“How You Doing” Meaning, Origin and Usage

Key Takeaways

“How You Doing” Meaning

The phrase “How you doing?” is a casual and informal greeting commonly used to inquire about someone’s well-being or state. It serves as a way to check in on a person and is often used in friendly or familiar contexts.

Examples:

• “Hey! How you doing? It’s been a while since we last caught up!”
• “When I saw my friend, I greeted her with, ‘How you doing?’ to start the conversation.”

Origin of This English Idiom

There is no specific origin information on the first use of the phrase “how you doing” as a greeting. It can be said that this is an informal version of the more formal “How are you doing?” It can also be said that the phrase is popularly written or spoken in the shortened form “how ya doin’?” In the early 2000s, the phrase “how you doing” or “how you doin'” became a popular catchphrase for the celebrity Wendy Williams. The catchphrase is said with a certain sass and implies a sort of humorous flirtation.

Usage of “How You Doing”

• In a casual greeting:

“I ran into Sarah at the store and asked, ‘Hey, how you doing?'”

• During a phone call:

“When my brother answered the phone, I said, ‘How you doing? It’s been a while since we talked!'”

• In a friendly conversation:

“After not seeing each other for months, I smiled and asked, ‘How you doing? I’ve missed our chats!'”

• At a social gathering:

“As guests arrived at the party, I greeted each one with a cheerful, ‘How you doing?'”

Related Terms to “How You Doing”

• How are you? – a more formal version of the same greeting.
• What’s up? – an informal way to ask how someone is or what they are doing.
• How’s it going? – a casual greeting that asks about someone’s current state or feelings.
• How have you been? – used to inquire about someone’s well-being over a period of time.
• How’s everything? – a friendly way to ask about someone’s general situation or well-being.
• How’s life? – a relaxed inquiry about how someone is doing in general.
• What’s new? – a way to ask if there are any updates or changes in someone’s life.
• How’s your day going? – a specific inquiry about someone’s day or current experience.
• Everything good? – a direct way to ask if all is well with someone.
• Long time no see! How are you? – a phrase that combines a greeting with an inquiry about well-being, especially after not seeing someone for a while.

Alternatives to “How You Doing”

There are several words and phrases you can insert in place of the phrase “how you doing” to ask the same thing. Some of these alternatives include:

• How are you?
• What’s new?
• How you been?

“How You Doing” Examples

Example Sentences

• How you doing is simply a shortened way to ask someone how are you doing?
• When someone asks me how you doing, I often think if I should reply with the truth or respond with something generic.
• Hi Bob, how you doing?
• How you doing, Mr West?
• Uh, hey, Olivia. How you doing?

Example Conversations

A conversation between a man and a woman at a bar.

• Man: Hey there beautiful! How you doing?
• Woman: Really? Do you have nothing more original than that?
• Man: I thought it was the safest thing to lead with rather than some lame pick-up line you’ve heard 1,000 times.
• Woman: Well, you thought wrong.

A conversation between two family members who haven’t seen each other in a long time.

• Family Member 1: Hey Jake! Good to see you! How you been?
• Family Member 2: I have been great Jesse! How you doing?
• Family Member 1: Oh, same old same old. Nothing ever changes much.