# How to say “WTF” in Chinese

> The mildest way to say “WTF” in Chinese is 怎么回事 (zěn me huí shì), “what's going on?”. The strongest is 搞什么飞机 (gǎo shén me fēi jī), “WTF are you doing (lit. what plane are you making)”. Here are all 5, ranked mild to strong, with pinyin and when to use each one.

Source: https://lanlanchinese.com/how-to-say/wtf-in-chinese (updated 2026-10-18)

1. **怎么回事** (zěn me huí shì) (strength 1/5): what's going on?. Calm, just confused.
   Heard in a real video: 这到底是怎么回事呢？ "So what's really going on?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CR2WLSFWoE&t=44s)
   Heard in a real video: 怎、怎、怎么回事？ "Wha—what's going on?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ufm4FsHvxk&t=409s)
2. **什么鬼** (shén me guǐ) (strength 2/5): what the heck (lit. what ghost). Something weird just happened.
   Heard in a real video: 什么鬼，真的？ "What the hell, seriously?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdqRa1-KsKc&t=302s)
   Heard in a real video: 什么鬼意思？ "What the heck does that mean?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExNRlQ-qFDU&t=322s)
3. **什么玩意** (shén me wán yì) (strength 3/5): what even is this (lit. what toy). For food, outfits or people.
4. **搞什么** (gǎo shén me) (strength 4/5): what are you doing?!. Annoyed now.
5. **搞什么飞机** (gǎo shén me fēi jī) (strength 5/5): WTF are you doing (lit. what plane are you making). The funniest way to say it.

---

From LanLan: Learn Chinese Lazily, an Android app for learning Mandarin from 1,500+ real Chinese videos with pinyin and English under every line: tap any word and it becomes a flashcard. Free on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lanlan.app