元気
げんき
genki
= healthy, energetic, in good spirits; vigor or liveliness
元気 is one of the first words a learner hears, packed into the greeting 元気ですか, and it carries a warmth that runs from physical health to bright, bouncing energy.
元気 covers being well, both in body and in mood. As a state it means healthy, full of energy, and in good spirits; as a quality it describes someone lively, cheerful, and spirited. It works as a noun (お元気で, take care) and as a な-adjective (元気な子, an energetic child). The word is positive and everyday, used constantly in greetings, encouragement, and casual check-ins.
Remember that 元気ですか is not used as often between close friends who see each other daily; it can sound like you assume something is wrong, so a casual 元気? or おはよう often fits better. To say you are well, 元気です is natural, but answering 元気 about minor daily life can sound slightly strong, so match it to genuine energy or health.
元 means origin or source, and 気 means spirit, energy, or vital force, a word central to many East Asian ideas of life energy. Together 元気 suggests one’s original, fundamental energy being intact, hence the meaning of health and vitality. Both characters use on’yomi readings here, げん and き.
Casual / Social Media
久しぶり！最近元気にしてた？
Hisashiburi! Saikin genki ni shiteta?
Long time no see! Have you been doing well lately?
Everyday use
風邪はもうすっかり治って、今日はとても元気です。
Kaze wa mou sukkari naotte, kyou wa totemo genki desu.
My cold has completely healed, and today I feel great.
Formal / Cultural context
退院される患者さんに、どうぞお元気でと声をかけた。
Taiin sareru kanja-san ni, douzo ogenki de to koe wo kaketa.
I said ‘please take care of yourself’ to the patient being discharged.
元気 reflects a way of thinking in which health and spirit are not sharply separated. The same word covers recovering from illness and feeling cheerful, so to ask after someone’s 元気 is to ask about their whole well-being at once. This is why the greeting 元気ですか functions both as a polite health check and as a friendly hello.
The word also shapes how encouragement is given. Telling a child to grow up 元気 is a common, heartfelt wish, and phrases built on it, like 元気を出して (cheer up, literally bring out your energy), treat spirit as something that can be summoned and shared. That gentle insistence on liveliness as a good and reachable state runs through everyday Japanese conversation.