How to say 'How are you?' in Japanese: how to ask and what to answer
'How are you?' in Japanese is お元気ですか (o-genki desu ka), polite. Among friends, shorter: 元気？ (genki?). Answer — 元気です (genki desu) 'I'm fine', まあまあです (māmā desu) 'so-so'. Important detail: Japanese people don't ask this question every day, but to someone they haven't seen in a while.
The English 'how are you' is a doorknob: you grab it to enter a conversation. The Japanese 元気ですか is more like a knock on the door after a long absence. Asking a colleague this every morning is like asking every day if they've been sick since yesterday.
How to ask 'how are you' in Japanese
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| お元気ですかおげんきですか | o-genki desu ka | How are you feeling? How have you been?polite, to someone you haven't seen in a while |
| 元気ですかげんきですか | genki desu ka | How are you? Are you okay?neutral, without the polite お |
| 元気げんき | genki? | How's it going?very friendly, with a questioning intonation |
| 久しぶりですねひさしぶりですね | hisashiburi desu ne | Long time no see!more often used instead of 'how are you' when meeting |
| 調子はどうですかちょうしはどうですか | chōshi wa dō desu ka | How's it going? How are things progressing?about matters, work, health after illness |
Why the お at the beginning changes everything
元気 means 'vigor, energy'. The prefix お is a polite bow towards the listener: you're not asking about abstract vigor, but about theirs. Therefore お元気ですか is appropriate with a teacher, neighbor, older colleague, while bare 元気？ is for a classmate.
What to answer to 'how are you' in Japanese
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 元気ですげんきです | genki desu | I'm fine, I'm okay |
| おかげさまで | okagesama de | Thank you, thanks to youpolite formula; often fully: おかげさまで元気です |
| まあまあです | māmā desu | So-so, average |
| 大丈夫ですだいじょうぶです | daijōbu desu | It's fine, everything is okay |
| 疲れましたつかれました | tsukaremashita | I'm tiredhonest answer to a tired colleague at the end of the day |
How to return the question to the other person
After answering, add あなたは？ (anata wa?) — 'and you?'. In casual speech, the pronoun is often omitted and you just say ～は？ with the name: 田中さんは？ (Tanaka-san wa?) — 'and you, Tanaka-san?'.
How the Japanese 'how are you' differs from the English one
- It's not a daily ritual. Every morning you say おはようございます to a colleague, not 'how are you'.
- The question implies you haven't seen each other for a while — otherwise it sounds like you suspect the person is ill.
- The default answer is positive: 元気です. A detailed story about problems in response to a polite formula is not expected.
- In business correspondence, instead of 'how are you' they write お世話になっております (o-sewa ni natte orimas) — 'thank you for your cooperation'.
Say 'how are you' out loud and check your pronunciation
FAQ
How do you say 'how are you' in Japanese?
お元気ですか (o-genki desu ka) — polite, 元気ですか (genki desu ka) — neutral, 元気？ (genki?) — friendly. Literally it means 'are you vigorous?', so the question is appropriate when meeting after a break, not every day.
What do you answer to 'o-genki desu ka'?
元気です (genki desu) — 'I'm fine'. More polite — おかげさまで元気です (okagesama de genki desu). If so-so — まあまあです (māmā desu). After answering, it's customary to return the question: あなたは？ (anata wa?).
Can you ask 'how are you' every day?
No, it sounds strange. The daily greeting in Japan is おはようございます in the morning, こんにちは in the afternoon. 元気ですか is reserved for meeting after a long break, along with 久しぶりですね ('long time no see').
What does 元気 (genki) literally mean?
'Original energy': 元 — source, beginning, 気 — spirit, energy. Hence the meaning of the question: not 'what's new with you', but 'do you have strength'. The word 元気 also works as an adjective: 元気な子 — 'a lively, energetic child'.
How to ask 'how are you' to a friend informally?
元気？ (genki?) with a questioning intonation or 調子はどう？ (chōshi wa dō?) — 'how's it going?'. Young people often just say 最近どう？ (saikin dō?) — 'what's new lately?'.
Updated: