皆さんお元気ですか？
minna-san ogenki desu ka?
In Japanese, "how is everyone?" is said as 皆さんお元気ですか？ (minna-san ogenki desu ka?)
The phrase is used as a greeting to ask a group of people about their well-being.
Which one should you use?
The default form 皆さんお元気ですか？ is polite and suitable for addressing a group of acquaintances, colleagues or an audience. In contrast, みんな元気？ is strictly for close social circles.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
皆さんお元気ですか？ is a formal way to ask the question, whereas みんな元気？ is an informal version used with friends or family. The informal version achieves this by omitting the polite san, o- and desu ka.
How do you pronounce it?
minna-san ogenki desu ka?
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the answer to お元気ですか？ is often not a simple 'yes' or 'no'. People may respond with おかげさまで (okagesama de), which literally means 'thanks to you' or 'thanks to the gods/others'.
- The word 'genki' (元気) literally translates to 'original energy' or 'source of strength'. It is composed of the characters for 'origin' and 'spirit'.
- The お (o) at the start of お元気 (ogenki) is an honorific prefix. Using it when asking about others is a sign of respect, but a speaker would never use it to describe their own health by saying 私はお元気です.
Examples in context
- みんな、元気？ (Minna, genki?)How is everyone?
- 久しぶりですね。皆さんお元気ですか？Hisashiburi desu ne. Minasan ogenki desu ka?It has been a while. How is everyone?
Example conversation
Hiroto visits Himari and her family members.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵さん、皆さんお元気ですか？Himari-san, minasan ogenki desu ka?Himari, how is everyone?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、みんな元気ですよ。Hai, minna genki desu yo.Yes, everyone is doing well.
- 大翔 Hirotoそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That is good to hear.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔さんもお元気そうですね。Hiroto-san mo ogenki sou desu ne.You look well too, Hiroto.
