気分はどう？
kibun wa dō?
The Japanese phrase for "how do you feel?" is 気分はどう？ (kibun wa dō?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current emotional state or their physical well-being. For example, if you want to express that you feel unwell or nauseous in response, you would use 気分が悪い.
Which one should you use?
The default form 気分はどう？ is casual and can be used to ask about both a person's mood and their physical health, such as after an illness. To ask "how's it going?", you would use 調子はどう？ To ask specifically about someone's health in an informal way, you can use 体調どう？
How does it change in a sentence?
You can make the phrase polite by adding ですか to the end, resulting in 気分はどうですか？
How do you pronounce it?
kibun wa dō?
Did you know?
- The word 調子 (chōshi), used in the alternative phrase 調子はどう？, is the same word used to describe the 'condition' or 'tone' of a musical instrument. This implies that a person's well-being is like a finely tuned machine or instrument.
- The kanji in 気分 (kibun) includes the character for 'air' or 'atmosphere' (気). This reflects the Japanese cultural concept that one's internal state is closely linked to the surrounding energy or 'atmosphere' of a place.
- While 'how do you feel?' might be used to start a conversation in English, starting a Japanese conversation with 気分はどう？ would be highly unusual. It is almost exclusively reserved for follow-up questions after someone has already expressed being unwell.
Examples in context
- 風邪かな？気分はどう？Kaze kana? Kibun wa dou?Maybe it's a cold? How do you feel?
- 薬を飲んだ後、気分はどう？Kusuri o nonda ato, kibun wa dou?How do you feel after taking the medicine?
- 気分はどう？少しは良くなった？Kibun wa dou? Sukoshi wa yoku natta?How do you feel? Are you feeling a bit better?
Example conversation
Misaki is checking on Kenta, who has been resting in his room.
- 美咲 Misaki健太、気分はどう？Kenta, kibun wa dou?Kenta, how do you feel?
- 健太 Kenta少し良くなったよ、ありがとう。Sukoshi yoku natta yo, arigatou.I feel a bit better, thanks.
- 美咲 Misakiよかった。無理しないでね。Yokatta. Muri shinai de ne.That's good. Don't overdo it.
- 健太 Kentaうん、今日はゆっくり休むよ。Un, kyou wa yukkuri yasumu yo.Yeah, I'll rest well today.
