"合同上写了什么？"
Translation:What is written in the contract?
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"What is in the contract" means the same as "what is written in the contract." The "written" is obvious enough that you can drop it and the sentence does not lose any meaning. Without "written" should also be an acceptable answer.
That's generally true, though there are unwritten, so-called "verbal" contracts (i.e. a verbal agreement is a contract as long as it has the requisite elements), and it's not wrong to talk about what's "in" them even though they're not written down.
- 合同 = contract
- 协议 = agreement
- 口头协议 = verbal agreement
- 书面协议 = written agreement
- 具有法律约束力的协议 = legally binding agreement
- 法律效力 = legal effect
- 君子协定 = gentlemen's agreement
To me they have very different meanings. "In" suggests the contract as printed out, "on" suggests a handwritten alteration before signing the contract.
“What is in the contract” is probably more idiomatic—it's certainly equally acceptable.
It doesn't really matter in this case, and it will depend on the region, the individual speaker, and perhaps even what it precedes.
How would you say "What is written on the contract?" meaning paper surface?
Perhaps I'll poll a native Chinese speaker or two on that, but in the meantime, taking a stab at a sentence that could get your idea across clearly, I'll suggest "合同页面上手写了什么？", which I think is a correct way to say "What is handwritten on the pages of the contract?".
That said, "on" is actually accepted here.
(I welcome corrections.)
We wouldn't say it.
The plural "What are" is probably not absolutely wrong, but it sounds weird and it seems to limit the type of answer to a plural: "words", "sentences", "stories", etc. The singular "What is" is the normal idiomatic way of asking the question, and can be answered in the same way as the plural or with a description of the content.
Also, "on" isn't the preposition used for talking about the terms of the contract. The correct preposition for that is "in". (That said, "on" is actually accepted here, but it makes it sound as though there are some handwritten notes in the margins.)
But perhaps you could comment on my answer above, where I suggested "合同页面上手写了什么？":