Once you’ve greeted someone in Japanese, it’s polite to ask “How are you?” or Ogenki desu ka? (お元気ですか). You might get a polite “I’m doing fine” response (regardless of whether they are or not), or the person might tell you about what’s on their mind (like the weather or their mood). Then, it’s up to you to respond!
Learn to ask how someone is in both formal and casual settings, plus how to respond, how to expand the conversation, and how to write it in business emails.
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Ogenki desu ka? (How are you?)
The most common way to ask someone “How are you?” in Japanese is Ogenki desu ka? It means “Are you well?” and you can expect to hear genki desu (元気です) or “I am well” in return.
The phrase Ogenki desu ka is built using the “to be” verb (desu) and question marker ka (か) to ask whether the other person is genki, or “well.” The o at the front of the word genki is only added when addressing another person, as it adds a level of respect to the word.
- Ogenki desu ka.（お元気ですか。）= How are you?
You can also use a few slightly less formal options for friends, family, and other people you know fairly well. Essentially, the shorter the expression is, the more casual (the same is true for “Hi” in Japanese instead of “Hello, how are you?”).
- Genki desu ka.（元気ですか。）= How are you? (informal)
- Genki?（元気？）= How’re you? (casual)
When using it in conversation, you can add other Japanese greetings suitable for the situation if you like. It’s optional, but it fleshes out the opening to your conversation instead of just asking how the other person is. Think of it like saying “Hi, how are you?” instead of just “How are you?”
- Jōnzu san, konnichiwa. Ogenki desu ka.（ジョーンズさん、こんにちは。お元気ですか。）= Hello, Mrs. Jones. How are you?
Informal ways to ask ‘How are you?’ in Japanese
Most informal ways to ask how someone is doing in Japanese revolve around the word genki or the question word dō (どう), which means “how.”
Instead of asking if someone is genki (well), you can ask how their health is doing, how things have been going recently, or how they’re feeling.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| 元気ですか？ | genki desu ka | gehn-kee dehs kah | How are you? |
| 元気にしてる？ | genki ni shiteru | gehn-kee nee shee-teh-roo | How’s it going? |
| 元気でしたか？ | genki deshita ka | gehn-kee dehsh-tah kah | How have you been? |
| 元気？ | genki | gehn-kee | How’re you? |
| 調子はどう？ | chōshi wa dō | choh-shee wah doh | How are you doing? |
| 体調はどう？ | taichō wa dō | tah-ee-choh wah doh | How are you feeling? |
| 最近どう？ | saikin dō | sah-ee-keen doh | What’s up? |
| どうだい？ | dō dai | doh dah-ee | How’s it going? |
Formal ways to ask ‘How are you?’ in Japanese
Phrases to formally ask how someone is doing in Japanese tend to be long and utilize the Japanese honorific style of speech (keigo). For example, you can swap the standard verb desu for the more formal deshō (でしょう):
- Ogenki desu ka.（お元気ですか。）= How are you? (standard)
- Ogenki deshō ka.（お元気でしょうか。）= How are you? (formal)
Unless you work in Japan, you’re unlikely to need these for everyday life, but they’re all worth knowing.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| お元気でしょうか。 | ogenki deshō ka | oh-gehn-kee deh-shoh kah | How are you? (formal) |
| お元気でいらっしゃいますか。 | ogenki de irasshaimasu ka | oh-gehn-kee deh ee-rahs-shah-ee-mahs kah | How are you? (very formal) |
| お元気にしていますか。 | ogenki ni shiteimasu ka | oh-gehn-kee nee shee-teh-ee-mahs kah | How have you been? |
| ご機嫌いかがですか。 | gokigen ikaga desu ka | goh-kee-gehn ee-kah-gah dehs kah | How do you do? |
| 調子はいかがですか。 | chōshi wa ikaga desu ka | choh-shee wah ee-kah-gah dehs kah | How are you doing? |
Writing ‘How are you?’ in Japanese business emails
Learning how to write a work email in Japanese comes with learning several long, formal expressions to begin the email, often including some version of “How are you?”
In modern Japan, keigo is mostly used when doing business in Japan, but these expressions in particular tend to be used in a business context.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| お変わりはありませんか。 | okawari wa arimasen ka | oh-kah-wah-ree wah ah-ree-mah-sehn kah | How have you been? |
| いかがお過ごしでしょうか。 | ikaga osugoshi deshō ka | ee-kah-gah oh-soo-goh-shee deh-shoh kah | How are things with you? |
| お変わりなくお過ごしでしょうか。 | okawari naku osugoshi deshō ka | oh-kah-wah-ree nah-koo oh-soo-goh-shee deh-shoh kah | Is everything going well with you? |
Responding to ‘How are you?’ in Japanese
If someone asks how you’re doing, the simplest way to respond is to say genki desu (元気です), which literally means “I am well.”
Take care not to say ogenki (rather than genki) when describing how you’re doing. The o prefix is meant to show respect to others and not to yourself.
Otherwise, you’re welcome to keep it short and sweet, or you can elaborate on what’s going on in your life (especially if you’re close to the person asking) with these expressions. Feel free to mix it up with other Japanese adjectives, too.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| 元気です。 | genki desu | gehn-kee dehs | I’m fine. |
| 元気にしています。 | genki ni shite imasu | gehn-kee nee shee-teh-ee-mahs | I’m doing well. (formal) |
| 元気にしてる。 | genki ni shiteru | gehn-kee nee shee-teh-roo | I’m doing well. (casual) |
| 元気にしております。 | genki ni shite orimasu | gehn-kee nee shee-teh-oh-ree-mahs | I’m doing well. (business formal) |
| 大丈夫です。 | daijōbu desu | dah-ee-joh-boo dehs | I’m okay. |
| いいです。 | ii desu | ee dehs | I’m good. |
| まあまあです。 | mā mā desu | mah mah dehs | I’m alright. |
| なんとかやってる。 | nan toka yatteru | nahn toh-kah yaht-teh-roo | I’m getting by. |
| 疲れています。 | tsukarete imasu | tsoo-kah-reh-teh ee-mahs | I’m tired. |
| 具合が悪いです。 | guai ga warui desu | goo-ah-ee gah wah-roo-ee dehs | I’m sick. |
| お腹がすいています。 | onaka ga suite imasu | oh-nah-kah gah soo-ee-teh-ee-mahs | I’m hungry. |
| のどがかわいています。 | nodo ga kawaite imasu | noh-doh gah kah-wah-ee-teh ee-mahs | I’m thirsty. |
| 暑いです。 | atsui desu | ah-tsoo-ee dehs | I’m hot. |
| 寒いです。 | samui desu | sah-moo-ee dehs | I’m cold. |
You may have noticed that none of the Japanese expressions in the chart above have a pronoun for “I.” When they’re the subject or topic of the sentence, Japanese pronouns are typically optional. You can add a first-person pronoun if you like, but it’s not necessary.
- Watashi wa guai ga warui desu.（私は具合が悪いです。）= I am sick.
- Guai ga warui desu.（具合が悪いです。）= (I) am sick.
If you want to ask how the other person is doing in turn, it’s as easy as saying the person’s name or title followed by particle wa (は) with a rising intonation. This literally means something along the lines of “As for yourself?” Japanese doesn’t typically use pronouns for “you,” so you would use the person’s name instead.
- Genki desu ka.（元気ですか。）= How are you?
- Genki desu. Obāchan wa?（元気です。おばあちゃんは？）= I am fine. How are you, Granny?
- Genki desu.（元気です。）= I am fine.
A note on Japanese small talk etiquette
If you’re from a culture where “Hi, how are you?” comes out as a complete greeting (whether you actually want to know how the other person is doing or not), try not to apply that to Ogenki desu ka? in Japan.
Generally speaking, it’s best to avoid small talk with strangers unless you’re getting to know them for some reason. Asking “How are you?” to fellow commuters on the train, cashiers at stores, and other people you have no real intention of seeing again can be offputting or come off as intrusive in Japanese culture.
You can comfortably use Ogenki desu ka? or an appropriate variation in situations like:
- Meeting a friend that you see frequently
- Catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a long time
- Checking in on someone who you know hasn’t been doing well
- Politely inquiring after someone’s general state of being in an email exchange
How are you doing with learning Japanese?
Mastering basic greetings, such as “Hello” in Japanese, is one of the first steps to learning a new language, so knowing that Ogenki desu ka? is how to say “How are you?” in Japanese is important.
Keep in mind that it’s unusual to strike up conversations with strangers in Japan (no small talk with cashiers necessary!), so these expressions will be most useful to you when you’re talking to someone you know. Use this knowledge to connect with them, start conversations off smoothly, and work on your Japanese conversation practice.
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