As in, 元気に[verb]? That begs the question, can you use the 元気に[verb] pattern with other verbs besides してる? “Are you…” in Japanese. We're reaching the end of our genki journey. Source(s): https://shrinke.im/a8mJF. Everyone needs to switch off and rest sometimes. When it's important to specify that your genki-ness is physical, you can do so with the above words and examples. Please note that when it ends with u like -masu then you say at at -masu. As you can see, there's a lot of variety! What does "O genki desu ka" mean in English, it's japanese. Essentially, it's the vital energy—the life force—that animates the body and all matter in the universe. It wouldn't be uncommon to hear: …which basically means Tofugu's only good point is its being 元気. They are basic. The Japanese language lesson offered here is an excerpt from Transparent Language's Japanese software program. As in "How have you been?" It just so happens in this case that I am genki and all that it embodies. If you've ever taken a Japanese class, you almost certainly learned this pattern: Despite the fact that this pattern is taught almost universally in every classroom, it's actually not all that common for a Japanese person to utter these exact words. Heck, even one of the most popular Japanese textbooks is named Genki! Congratulations! And if you want to be nice, you can subscribe to the Tofugu podcast wherever podcasts go to live out their final years. There's a reason for that, and it's not a good one: genki refers to both physical and mental states. Blargiantoast. “Genki desu ka(げんきですか)” is used at the very beginning of an interaction with someone. “Medicine in Edo Japan” Leiden University: 2016. When you were not genki. Existence. In the first example, person A is exalting person B by placing the exalted prefix お o- in front of the word 元気(げんき) genki, which refers to person B's health. to do whatever you're doing. These terms are huge concepts in Japanese—too big for this article. ない is the negative form of ある, so saying 元気がない means the person you're talking about doesn't have that energy or spirit. I’m 30. Let's take a look at other ways you can do stuff with genki. You become healthy. Some are more useful than others, but let's take a look for fun. I'm gonna teach you a song that makes you happy. Depending on your level of Japanese, some concepts will be very easy. Download The Genki Example Sentences Spreadsheet by signing up to the Tofugu newsletter, Now, please rest up and get your genki back. お元気でいらっしゃいますか？ (with sonkeigo 尊敬語, "honorific speech.") It means you've worked hard. 元気ですか is if you are asking how they are now. You don't need to learn every version below. I lived in Japan for 4 years. To do this, just replace the に with よく, giving you 元気よく[verb]. genki means good health, good energy or something like that. お元気(げんき)ですか。 O-genki desu ka? Now Genki means “lively; full of spirit; energetic; vigorous; vital; spirited​” in Japanese. So now we are going to practice how to use the phrase “Genki desu ka(げんきですか)” in real conversation. (Because you can talk for a short time, or you can chat someone's ear off, monopolizing their time for the entire dinner party! Or you're telling someone else to do it. You can reply to this by saying- Hai, genki desu. whereas 元気にしてますか is "How are you doing?" Assuming you read about genki's history and etymology, you know why. When you do this, essentially you are saying that you made somebody feel good (you gave them genki) or that somebody made you feel good (you received genki). 元気でしたか is like asking how things have been between the last time you met and now ("How've you been?"). Literally: I received genki from Jamal's singing. Youkoso. For example, you can say: But, it can also be used in the form of a put-down. Rebecca. Heck, even one of … Notes: Clearly, this one is about mental genki. Literally: If Kanae doesn't have genki, I will also lose my genki. English. Although I can't tell you how to get there, I can tell you how to talk about it in Japanese. (やばい): A Common Japanese Phrase to Show How Cool You Are. Think of it in that sense. One more time, in case scrolling up 50px is too much for you. So you are technically asking “are you full of energy” which is closet to the English phrase, “are you well?”. You could also disagree and say 元気ではない “Genki de wa nai”  which means “I’m not fine”. Then your answer is "I was doing well.". "How do you do ?" Konnichiwa, o genki desu ka? If you want to learn them all, just print this page out. Thus, it makes sense to use this pattern here. Now, if you can not be genki, you can also have been genki in the past. There's a different feeling between asking 元気ですか and 元気でしたか. Although this might be a bit advanced for some of you, I'd like to go beyond the simple「お元気ですか？　はい、元気です。」patterns in your textbooks. Although this is an interpretation of the phrase, fundamentally it is different.  When you ask someone in English “How are you” you can have a multitude of answer right? It means how are you, or how are you feeling. If "genki" is a thing you can have, not have, and even barf out, it stands to reason that it can disappear, too. You can say this last one to a Japanese kid crying about something trivial. Prerequisite: This guide is going to use hiragana and some katakana, so we highly recommend you learn them beforehand by reading these (and most of our) guides. kyou wa genki desu ka. In this case we are specifying that our physical ailment is a fever, but we're still (mentally) genki. Perhaps they're sad or depressed. Don't worry, we will cover all of those and more. We'll tell you about new language articles, send you Japanese lessons (which are basically mini Tofugu articles), and do our best to never send you garbage spam. You're not talking about yourself or asking someone how they're doing. Genki has a lot of different meanings, so it could really be a lot of things. There's this implication that they weren't able to do these things genki-ly before, or that it was unexpected of them to do these things genki-ly. Start using the word "genki" the way the Japanese use it. Literally: After drinking beer, genki came out. 0 0. Ah! Or not have! With that, we've looked at all the ways you can be genki. You can instantly go out and have conversation with Japanese people once you have this down too so that’s super exciting. You don't know how they feel! or Are you fine? So far you've learned that you can be genki and that you can do things with genki. It's a positive thing for your genki to come out. Sometimes it's translated as "courage," because often courageous people stand up and fight in spite of their fear, exhaustion, and empty genki tank. First, let's talk about how to make this「お元気ですか？ 元気です。」pattern sound a little more natural. Speaking of which, we put together a spreadsheet with all the example sentences from this article. That makes the word more polite. I won't even begin to explain it here (I'd go way over my word count). If you say someone is doing something genki-ly, it feels like you're saying "they are doing xyz genki-ly (but it was unexpected)." First you were genki. one of the most popular Japanese textbooks, Genki as a Thing That You Can Do Something With. You never know when a little bit of Japanese will save the day! 元気でね♡, The Meaning of Genki: Going Way Beyond "O Genki Desu Ka? You can also use 無くす (to lose something) in a similar way. Chinese medicine is tied to the philosophy of yin and yang—how energy can be either positive or negative—and how maintaining a balance between the two is essential for good health. I was encouraged by Viet's singing voice. If you want to be more casual you can use the following phrases: If you want to be even more formal you can simply just say 元気？ “Genki?” This is to be used more with friends and family so be sure to keep that in mind so you don’t offend seniors or people you have jsut met.. 11. So how can you start using “genki desu ka” in your speech? Literally: I feel like more and more genki is coming out (of me). One visual representation for 気 you might know comes from the Dragon Ball series. I’m 25. Ka: ka in japanese is an indicator that the sentence is … Your state of being from the last time someone saw you couldn't have been "super 元気" for days on end. So guys, this brings us to the end of today’s online Japanese lesson. Firstly, if you are feeling “genki” you can say, “げんきです” which simply means, “yeah, I’m fine”. In fact, instead of doing that, people tend to just lie and say "I'm good," even when they're not. O Genki Desu Ka simply means- how are you? How might you express this? It's about a song that will let you become genki. If genki is a thing, it's something one can have. And because a lot of words repeat here, you’ll learn them in no time. The reason is because it's not so assertive. in European expression, so we don't say so too much. (Yes, I'm fine, or I'm okay.). July 10, 2018 Literally: Please exist by way of genki for me. The Basic Japanese Phrases and the Japanese Phrases for Meeting and Greeting will lead you to the Japanese Dialog at the end, which shows how these survival phrases are used in conversational Japanese. Essentially, you're saying "by way of genki… live your life." By the Meiji period (1868–1912), only one genki remained—the one we use today, and it incorporates ideas from all four original forms. In Japanese 元気ですか is asking you specifically if you are “Genki”. As always, if you have any questions or content that you want us to write about please do not hesitate to get in touch as we always love hearing your ideas.Â. Last Update: 2019-09-24 Usage Frequency: 1 Quality: Reference: Anonymous. "I'm good.". Here are a handful of sentences that all mean "I am not genki" / "I am not doing well." Instead, you're talking about a third party, grandpa Koichi. The 元気で examples from before are omitting something, and… you guessed it, this is what they're probably omitting. So, when you want to say someone is doing something genki-ly in a normal, not hospital situation, you ought say they are being SUPER genki. Maybe someone is very sick, but they are eating as if they weren't sick. Notes: When she eats bacon, she becomes genki. to every Japanese person you meet. From this, you should try and recreate these scenarios, word for word, in your head, This way, you will be able to master the use of basic greeting in Japanese. Here are some more formal forms for you, just in case: These are pretty similar to the 元気ですか and 元気です patterns. Usually after a common greeting like: おはようございます As in, 犬になる (to become a dog), 弁護士になる (to become a lawyer), and yes, 元気になる (to become genki). That said, I'd like to take a moment to contradict myself. In the end, though, you will have a much better understanding of genki no matter your level. Omedetou. If you add に to 元気 you get 元気に. Genki desu – I am fine. You can always come back when you're ready. There different ways to interpret it, since "genki" means (physically) well and energetic. Why would feeling better decrease your energy? ... Ichiban sukina kyoku wa nan desu ka? Notes: It sounds like someone can't control when they become genki again, which makes me think they're referring to an illness or injury. Literally: In order to get my genki out, bacon is important. Okay, so you now know how to have genki, but what if you have genki for doing something? before they learn hiragana, katakana, or any grammar. Take a look at the following examples to get an idea of the variety of 元気な nouns you can talk about. That would make us all a little less genki. You can find examples of this usage in a collection of prose from the late Heian period (794–1185) called Konjaku Monogatarishū 今昔物語集 (Anthology of Tales from the Past): By the Edo period (1616–1867), encounters with Holland and Portugal had introduced ideas from Western medicine into Japanese life, and the 減気 form of genki was replaced by a newer one: 験気. A construction worker, a dog, and a mother are also things I can be. That applies to past and negative forms of している too. ", Literally: "By way of genki, I'm spending (my) time. When you're in Japan it's really important to have some basic Japanese phrases up your sleeve, to help you out when you need it. That's all Tofugu has going for it. You can specify something you do "by way of genki" if you want, though. (How are you?) I've written example sentences of various ways you—or somebody else—can be genki. But there is one big difference. But to stay at an extreme level of 元気 forever… well, that's too much. You're probably starting to see why defining genki is so complex. However, if you have been learning for a while and still haven’t heard it, shame on you. "Ogenki desu ka" literally means "Are you well"? Most of these felt like greeting set phrases, but this last example sentence was a bit more general. What if… you could excrete it? It's a good "physical genki" replacement. お o-can be applied to nouns, na-adjectives, i-adjectives, and verbs. Translation; Are you a student? Literally: Let's all stick some genki on Michael. For kanji you don't know, we recommend looking them up in a Japanese dictionary. Scoop the genki out of your body and wipe it on their chest, or something. Literally: That dog was scolded and lost its genki. In situations like these, you might use: The difference between them is that one is a transitive verb and the other is intransitive. You can ask “Are you…” in Japanese with this phrase. To understand them fully, hop on over to Tofugu's guide on transitive / intransitive verbs. Like, "c'mon, get your genki out, you spoiled brat. No comments | | | 0 No comments. Michael is looking somewhat unwell today. Some days passed and this illness has eased a bit. Literally: I heard Kristen's story and genki came out (of me). 私は30歳です。 Watashi wa sanjuu sai desu. Unfortunately, this is just one of those "that's the way it is" language rules. You didn’t expect a “how are you” this deep from genki, right? Then they reply to you, a person who is also definitely human, with "I am fine, and you?" Single click on the phrase to hear the Japanese pronunciation spoken by a … You become energetic. They want to become genki again from their current state of not being genki. If you are a Tofugu email subscriber, you'll get it in your inbox. But if I can be genki, I can also not be genki. Classroom students tend to learn "Ogenki desu ka?" Art by 2 1. joannes. In many Japanese learning textbooks – お元気ですか is one of the first phrases that you will learn. O Genki Desu Ka translates to ‘Are you healthy?’. Whilst you can say Genki Desu Ka?, the ‘O’ is added onto the beginning for extra politeness. This 減気 (げんき) literally means "decrease energy," and was used when someone was recovering from an illness: getting better. And it all comes back to Grandpa Koichi. Let's find out what's going on here. Still, this pattern is a great jumping off point for your genki education. Keep this in mind as we move on as there are certain ways to reply to this question. What about giving genki to someone? Learn how to say “Is there a …(arimasu ka)” in Japanese, Yabai! Notes: This could either be illness / injury or mental feeling. This particle does a lot. Maybe they were lightheaded, sick, or depressed. One sounds like a question, the other a statement. Happy Birthday! 元気づける is a combination of 元気 and つける (which means "to put on" or "to attach.") ARTINYA : “Apakah Anda sehat?” JAPAN : O kage desu ARTINYA : “Saya sehat-sehat saja.” –> (digunakan untuk menjawab “O genki desu ka?”) JAPAN : Kyou wa ii o tenki desu ne? When you begin learning Japanese, one of the first words you run into is genki (元気). Comment. O Genki Desu Ka? JAPAN :O genki desu ka? That being said, if you want to specify what comes after the 元気で, you should do so. It's more consistent with the rest of the ways to use genki. before they learn hiragana, katakana, or any grammar. The verb for "to become" is なる, and the pattern is xxになる. So that's about receiving genki. Take heart and remain genki, though. Therefore, by asking “O genki desu ka?” you are addressing if your opponent’s inner Zen is at its original state – or if his/her internal stream of life force is balanced and flowing undisturbed. o-genki desu ka? you're asking "Were you doing well?" What if it could disappear? As you guessed, "genki desu ka" is a bit artificial-translated stuff of "comment allez-vous?" Asking “How are you?” in Japanese. When you become genki, you go from a state without pep to a state with pep. When you say this (or when you're saying 「元気」) you're essentially saying that you are genki. My team (compiler for specialized hardware) tried to switch to rust because of the non technical manager. Before you move on: We also recorded a podcast about the word "genki" and all its uses, though we highly recommend you read the article and listen to the podcast episode (instead of just one or the other). With those ideas in mind, let's take a look at genki as a thing you can do something with. ), (Because you can sing for a little while, or you can belt out a whole opera!). That dog lost his pep after being scolded. If you can be "doing genki-ly," can you "do something genki-ly?" You can upload them to your SRS of choice for study. Don't worry! You shouldn't say that you gave genki to someone because who are you to say you actually gave them genki? A Gross Tip from Koichi: I've always imagined 元気が出る and 元気を出す as rainbows coming out of people's mouths. O-genki desu-ka ? Kanji translation: hisashii: a long time Welcome! O-Genki desu ka means "How are you?" I think these should cover most situations. 元気百倍 (げんきひゃくばい) literally means "100x 元気." There's a long ways to go, still, so you may have to do just that. You have the feeling that something disappeared, not that it went away and you know where it is. In Japanese, ある means "to exist" or "to have." Literally: Genki won't come out of me that easily. 元気ですか is "how are you?" At this point you probably don't have much genki left, but that's okay. In this case, we are not sick, but also not (mentally) genki. Well, we did see an example sentence doing just that. Are 元気に食べる (to eat genki-ly), 元気に歩いてる (walking genki-ly), and 元気に話してる (talking genki-ly) valid? It's not clear which, but I bet if you were there, you could figure it out with the power of context. 無くなる is used when you lose something. If you can be genki, you can describe something as a genki thing. もりもり is a Japanese onomatopoeia that describes well-developed muscles, so it's often translated as "energetic," "vigorous," or "full of vitality.".