元気ですか？
genki desu ka?
In Japanese, "how are you?" is said as 元気ですか？ (genki desu ka?)
元気ですか？ is a common greeting used to ask about a person's health or general well-being. It is typically used when you haven't seen someone for a little while, rather than as a daily greeting like "hello". Unlike the English "how are you?", which can be used as a casual throwaway greeting, genki desu ka? often invites a more genuine answer about one's state of being.
What does it mean word for word?
The word genki literally refers to one's health, energy or spirit.
Which one should you use?
While 元気ですか？ is the standard form, you may encounter other versions depending on the setting. O-genki desu ka? is a more formal way to ask the question, and O-genki? is an informal version.
How do you pronounce it?
genki desu ka?
When do people say it?
A standard response to genki desu ka? is genki desu (I am well).
Did you know?
- In many Japanese workplaces, coworkers do not use 元気ですか？ to greet each other daily. Instead, they use お疲れ様です, which acknowledges the other person's hard work.
- While 元気 refers to energy, the character 気 also means 'air' or 'spirit' and is the same character used in karaoke, which literally means 'empty orchestra'.
- The word genki is composed of two kanji characters: 元 meaning 'source' or 'origin' and 気 meaning 'energy' or 'spirit'.
Examples in context
- 最近、元気ですか？Saikin, genki desu ka?Have you been well lately?
- お元気ですか？Ogenki desu ka?How are you?
Example conversation
Kenta meets Yui at a coffee shop after a long time.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さん、お元気ですか？Yui-san, ogenki desu ka?Yui, how are you?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、とても元気です！Hai, totemo genki desu!Yes, I'm very well!
- 健太 Kentaそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That's good to hear.
- 結衣 Yui健太さんは元気ですか？Kenta-san wa genki desu ka?Are you doing well, Kenta?
