元気
げんき·genki
Meaning
healthy; energetic; lively; well; in good spirits
Nuance & Usage
元気 is one of the first words learners encounter in the greeting お元気ですか？ (ogenki desu ka — How are you?). As a na-adjective, it describes being healthy, full of energy, or in good spirits. It can describe people (元気な子ども — an energetic child) or be used as a state (元気です — I'm fine/well). Related: 元気になる (genki ni naru — to get well/cheer up), 元気を出す (genki o dasu — to cheer up, literally "put out energy").
Common Mistakes
While お元気ですか？ is taught early, native speakers don't use it as frequently as English speakers say "How are you?" It's mainly used when you haven't seen someone in a while. For daily greetings, Japanese people often skip the "how are you" entirely or use different phrases. Also, 元気 is a na-adjective: 元気な人 (genki na hito — an energetic person), not 元気い人.
Example Sentences (3)
お久しぶりです。お元気ですか？
おひさしぶりです。おげんきですか？
Long time no see. How have you been?
おかげさまで元気です。
おかげさまでげんきです。
I'm doing well, thank you.
元気を出してください。
げんきをだしてください。
Please cheer up.
Quick Quiz
Quick Quiz
N54 questionsTest your knowledge of 元気 with 4 different question types.
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