やあ、元気？
yaa, genki?
やあ、元気？ (yaa, genki?) is the Japanese way to say "hi, how are you?"
This phrase is a casual greeting used to say hello and ask about a person's well-being. In casual Japanese, the やあ (hi) part is often dropped and speakers will simply ask 元気？ to mean "How are you?"
What does it mean word for word?
The word 元気 (genki) literally means health, energy or vigor.
Which one should you use?
The phrase やあ、元気？ includes both a greeting and a question. You can use the shorter 元気？ to mean "How's it going?" or "How are you?" For a formal version, use 元気ですか？, which translates to "Are you well?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
やあ、元気？ is highly informal and should only be used with friends or people younger than you. In contrast, 元気ですか？ is the formal way to ask the question.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase polite, you add the copula ですか to the end of 元気, resulting in 元気ですか？
How do you pronounce it?
yaa, genki?
When do people say it?
A common informal response to 元気？ is 元気だよ (I'm good/well).
Did you know?
- The 'yaa' in やあ is a very masculine-sounding greeting, often used by men to sound friendly and casual with their peers.
- The word 元気 is composed of two characters meaning 'origin' and 'energy'. It refers to a state of being 'true to one's original energy'.
- Depending on the tone, 元気！ can be used as an exclamation of encouragement to someone else, similar to shouting 'Be energetic!' or 'Cheer up!'
Examples in context
- やあ、元気？Ya, genki?Hi, how are you?
- やあ、元気？ 最近どう？Ya, genki? Saikin dou?Hi, how are you? How have you been lately?
- やあ、元気？ 久しぶり！Ya, genki? Hisashiburi!Hi, how are you? Long time no see!
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔、やあ、元気？Hiroto, yaa, genki?Hiroto, hi, how are you?
- 大翔 Hiroto元気だよ。陽葵こそ元気？Genki dayo. Himari koso genki?I'm good. How about you, Himari?
- 陽葵 Himari私も元気！Watashi mo genki!I'm good too!
- 大翔 Hirotoそれはよかった。Sore wa yokatta.That's good to hear.
