おはようございます、今日はお元気ですか？
ohayō gozaimasu, kyō wa ogenki desu ka?
The phrase "good morning, how are you today?" in Japanese is translated as おはようございます、今日はお元気ですか？ (ohayō gozaimasu, kyō wa ogenki desu ka?)
This phrase is a polite morning greeting used to ask about someone's well-being. Asking 今日はお元気ですか？ (how are you today?) is much more formal and less common in casual daily conversation than the English equivalent.
What does it mean word for word?
The part 今日 (kyō) literally means "today".
Which one should you use?
If you want to say only "good morning" informally, you can use おはよう or お早う.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For friends or family, use the informal version おはよう.
How do you pronounce it?
ohayō gozaimasu, kyō wa ogenki desu ka?
Did you know?
- In the entertainment industry, such as television studios or theater, staff and performers say おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) to each other regardless of whether it is actually morning or even night.
- While おはよう (ohayō) is used for 'good morning', the root word 早う (hayau) actually means 'early'. You are essentially telling the other person they have woken up early.
- When replying to お元気ですか？ (ogenki desu ka?), it is common to say おかげさまで (okagesama de), which means 'thanks to you' or 'thanks to your support'.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota meet at the office in the morning.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さん、おはようございます、今日はお元気ですか？Yōta-san, ohayō gozaimasu, kyō wa ogenki desu ka?Yota, good morning, how are you today?
- 陽太 Yotaおはようございます。はい、元気ですよ。Ohayō gozaimasu. Hai, genki desu yo.Good morning. Yes, I am doing well.
- 美咲 Misakiそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.I'm glad to hear that.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さんも元気そうで良かったです。Misaki-san mo genki sō de yokatta desu.I'm glad you seem to be doing well too, Misaki.
