Что нового?

Because Russian normally omits the present-tense form of to be.

So where English says What is new?, Russian simply says Что нового?

There is an understood is/are, but it is not spoken:

• Что нового? = What’s new?

This is completely normal Russian, not an incomplete sentence.

This is one of the most common questions learners have.

Нового is the genitive singular form of новый (new), and here it is being used in a very idiomatic pattern after что.

So Что нового? literally feels more like:

• What of the new stuff?
• What new things are there?

That is why Russian uses нового, not новое.

This same pattern appears in other very common expressions:

• Ничего нового. = Nothing new.
• Что интересного? = What’s interesting? / Anything interesting?
• Много полезного. = A lot of useful things.

So it is best to learn что нового as a fixed expression.

Usually, no if you mean What’s new?

The natural expression is:

• Что нового?

Что новое? does not sound like the standard way to ask this. It may sound ungrammatical or make people expect a different meaning, like you are talking about some specific new thing.

So for everyday Russian, stick with:

• Что нового?

A good approximation is:

shto NO-vuh-vuh?

A few useful details:

• Что is usually pronounced like што
• The stress in но́вого is on the first syllable: НО
• In adjective endings like -ого, the г is pronounced like v, so нового sounds like новово, not novogo

A more careful pronunciation would be close to:

• [ʂto ˈnovəvə]

It is neutral to informal and very common in conversation.

By itself, Что нового? sounds natural in friendly everyday speech:

• with friends
• classmates
• coworkers
• family

If you want to make it more clearly about the other person, you can say:

• Что у тебя нового? = What’s new with you? (informal)
• Что у вас нового? = What’s new with you? (formal or plural)

So the shorter version is common and natural, but the longer versions are often used too.

They are similar, but not the same.

• Как дела? = How are things? / How’s it going?
• Что нового? = What’s new?

So:

• Как дела? asks generally about life or how someone is doing
• Что нового? asks specifically about recent news, updates, or changes

For example, if you have not seen someone in a while, Что нового? is especially natural.

Yes, very often.

These are extremely common:

• Что у тебя нового? = What’s new with you?
• Что у вас нового? = What’s new with you? (polite or plural)

The shorter Что нового? is already natural, but adding у тебя / у вас makes it more explicitly about the person you are speaking to.

Very often, Russians answer with short phrases.

Common examples:

• Ничего нового. = Nothing new.
• Да так, всё по-старому. = Oh, same as always.
• Много чего. = A lot of things.
• Есть новости. = There’s news.

A very common set phrase is:

• Ничего нового.

Notice that it uses the same pattern as the question:

• Что нового?
• Ничего нового.

Not only.

It can work a bit like a casual greeting, but it is still a real question asking for updates.

So depending on context, it can mean:

• a friendly opener
• a request for recent news
• a way to continue a conversation

If you just want a general greeting, Привет, Здравствуйте, or Как дела? may fit better. If you want updates, Что нового? is the better choice.