おかげさまで元気です
o-kage-sama de genki desu
In Japanese, "I'm fine" can be expressed as おかげさまで元気です (o-kage-sama de genki desu) or 元気です.
Meaning: response (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| おかげさまで元気です | o-kage-sama de genki desu |
| 元気です | genki desu |
These phrases are used to respond to questions about your well-being. The core concept is 元気 (genki), which refers to being energetic, healthy or possessing a lively spirit.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase おかげさまで literally means "thanks to your favor" or "thanks to the grace of [God/others]", used to express that your well-being is due to the support or concern of others.
Which one should you use?
元気です is a direct way to state that you are currently well. In contrast, おかげさまで元気です is a more polite and humble response that specifically acknowledges the person asking about your well-being by saying "I'm fine, thanks to you."
How do you pronounce it?
o-kage-sama de genki desu
Did you know?
- The word おかげ (okage) in おかげさまで comes from the word for 'shadow'. It suggests that the speaker is resting in the protective shadow of a benefactor's kindness.
- Saying 元気です (genki desu) when you are actually feeling unwell is a common social lubricant in Japan. It is often used as a polite ritual to avoid burdening the other person with your problems.
- The kanji for 'spirit' in 元気 (気) is the same character used in words like 'air', 'atmosphere', or 'gas', highlighting the invisible, flowing nature of one's well-being.
Examples in context
- 私は元気です。I'm fine.This sentence is useful for practicing the direct statement of being fine with 元気です.Tatoeba #157261 by arnab, translation #257272 by Eldad
- 私も元気ですよ。I'm fine too.This sentence shows how to say you are also fine using 元気です.Tatoeba #152193 by small_snow, translation #262357 by Eldad
- おかげさまで元気です。I'm fine, thank you.This sentence demonstrates the polite response using おかげさまで元気です.Tatoeba #227762 by bunbuku, translation #65115 by CM
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Himari meet after a long time.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵さん、お久しぶりです。元気ですか？Himari-san, ohisashiburi desu. Genki desu ka?Himari, it's been a long time. How are you?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、おかげさまで元気です。Hai, okagesama de genki desu.Yes, I'm fine, thanks to you.
- 陽太 Yotaそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.I'm glad to hear that.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太さんはどうですか？Yota-san wa dou desu ka?How about you, Yota?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I'm fine” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
