おげんきですか
ogenki desu kahiragana, polite
In hiragana, "how are you" is おげんきですか (ogenki desu ka). A friend can drop the polite parts and just ask げんき？ (genki?). It is also called げんきですか (genki desu ka).
Meaning: asking about someone's well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| おげんきですか | ogenki desu ka | hiragana, polite |
| げんきですか | genki desu ka | hiragana, polite, neutral |
| げんき？ | genki? | hiragana, casual |
Japanese people use it when they have not seen someone for a while, rather than as an everyday hello.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The お in front and です make it polite. The short question fits only friends and family.
How does it change in a sentence?
A typical reply is げんきです (genki desu), "I am well", often followed by おかげさまで (okagesama de), "thanks to you".
Did you know?
- The word げんき is written 元気 in kanji, and the first character means "origin" and the second "spirit".
Examples in context
- おひさしぶりです、おげんきですか。Ohisashiburi desu, ogenki desu ka?Long time no see, how are you?
- げんきですか。Genki desu ka?Are you well?
- はい、げんきです。Hai, genki desu.Yes, I'm well.
Example conversation
Two former classmates, Emi and Satoshi, run into each other at a train station.
- Emiさとしくん、おひさしぶり。Satoshi-kun, ohisashiburi.Satoshi, long time no see.
- Satoshiえみさん、おげんきですか。Emi-san, ogenki desu ka?Emi, how are you?
- Emiはい、げんきです。さとしくんは？Hai, genki desu. Satoshi-kun wa?I'm well. And you?
- Satoshiわたしもげんきです。Watashi mo genki desu.I'm well too.
