SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ja-how-are-you

Which phrase asks 'How are you?' politely in Japanese?

Ogenki desu ka. (お元気ですか。)

Start playing free

  1. Doko desu ka. (どこですか。)
  2. Ogenki desu ka. (お元気ですか。) ✔
  3. Ikura desu ka. (いくらですか。)

Why: Genki means well, and the polite o in front plus desu ka turns it into a question. The wrong choices mean 'Where is it?' and 'How much is it?'

Huh, didn't know that: In the same NHK skit, Tam asks Haru if her own Japanese is daijoobu (OK), and Haru says it is very good.

The dad joke
I asked a Tokyo cat 'ogenki desu ka'. It said it was feline fine.
Like this card?
Play the game

References

Answer: Ogenki desu ka. (お元気ですか。). Genki means well, and the polite o in front plus desu ka turns it into a question. The wrong choices mean 'Where is it?' and 'How much is it?'

  1. NHK WORLD-JAPAN Easy Japanese, Lesson 45 www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/lesson/en/lessons/45.html
    Yuuki-san, ogenki desu ka. Yuuki-san, how are you?
    Checked 2026-10-10.

Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.

Test yourself in the game

LanguagesWhat do you say in Japanese when you first meet someone, like 'Nice to meet you'?LanguagesHow do you ask someone to speak slowly in Japanese?LanguagesWhich phrase means 'I'm sorry. Please say it again' in Japanese?

That's stuff everyone should know.