All About the Japanese Word “Genki”

Ogenki desu ka? This is one of the first phrases a student of Japanese encounters, and it corresponds to the greeting “how are you?” although “are you well?” would be a better translation as it’s a yes/no question. In the context of this greeting, genki means “fine” or “well” and you can reply to this greeting by saying Hai, genki desu (Yes, I am fine). But genki can have other meanings, such as describing children running around (“energetic”), or someone beaming with happiness about something, or someone getting healthy after an illness. (The word can also refer to the unique state a man may find himself after waking up in the morning.) The o in ogenki desu ka is an honorific prefix that shows respect, and it’s often found on family titles (okaasan = mother, obaasan = grandmother), Buddhist words (otera = Buddhist temple), and “cute” words often around kids or babies (oshiri = a cute-sounding word for a person’s rear end).

“Genki” is the quintessential Japanese word.