In the video, I say, "we feel a little uncomfortable, when asked, "genki desuka?" What I meant to say was, "I feel confused and don't know how to respond." 3:46 Correction: "どこ行く？(Where do you want to go?)"🙏
To be precise, "How are you?" would also be inappropriate in most of those situations in UK English - to a boss or senior colleague, someone you don't know well. To my ear, the phrase presupposes a personal relationship. I remember being asked "How are you?" by a shop clerk in San Francisco and it feeling incredibly strange. The other point is that most of the time "How are you?" is like お疲れ様, merely a greeting. One is not expected to take it seriously and respond with a point-by-point health report. The typical response is "Fine. You?" This explains a dialectal variation that outsiders find very puzzling. In the East Midlands, it's common to greet someone by saying, "Alright(?)", to which the standard response is, "Alright". It's not a question or enquiry, just something to say and get over with. I'm guessing that the tendency for English speakers to say お元気ですか got started because someone once asked for a translation of "How are you?" and the respondent did not actually understand the nuances of this phrase, took it literally and suggested お元気ですか. At that moment, a million awkward future conversations with Japanese learners were born...
Wow! Thank you for explaining in detail about "How are you?". Indeed, the Japanese "お疲れ様" is also just a meaningless greeting. By the way, "Alright" is useful in response to "how are you"!😃
I would disagree. It's asked all the time, but usually it's insincere or rhetorical. I always ask people but you don't expect people to go into details, just "fine thanks, you?" or "not too bad, you?"
Thanks very much for this! Learning a language requires understanding not only of the words and grammar, but also the culture and the history. This will be very helpful!
I already knew these explanations, so I learnt nothing... yet, I found this video great and very useful for beginners. Continue like that. We need more videos telling people how to properly speak in Japanese 😊
Nice video. I think adding in お先に失礼します when at work is important too. I say it often because I'm just an assistant. Sometimes I just copy what my other coworkers say ahaha One of them would say, 'お先に失礼します。' and then everyone would say お疲れ様でした～
Very useful to learn the nuances of certain sentences, because that's quite difficult as a learner. I also have a Japanese colleague and it's nice to surprise him now and again with more Japanese sentences :)
Even when I'm speaking japanese, i often greet my japanese friends with the english expression "Whats up" But i still learned some things from this video, thanks.
It’s really irritating that textbooks or standard Japanese courses always teach お元気ですか and always the literal translation for おつかれさまです. I didn’t know it was just a greeting like how are you and can be used in these situations. TH-cam Japanese lessons have been helping me sooo much. Thank you!!
So useful lesson I’ve interested in studying Japanese since the half of 2022, actually. Though I’m not good at speaking foreign language, I won’t give up trying studying Japanese or English.. おつかれさまでした、まいさん
It sounds impossibly difficult to learn to speak Japanese. This is a very good channel because it is of utmost importance to express things properly, otherwise very improper meanings will be conveyed! I think the most important task is to be sensitive to expectations, not to translate literally from our own vernacular.
I definitely learned to say 元気ですか and it just so happens that the only people im able to speak japanese with are close friends so its completely appropriate and i do want detailed info about their life and such. But in my class we were taught 元気ですか was more of a thing and the response if not answering seriously is お陰様で元気です。
We also learn this in English classes: "How are you?" and "I'm fine thank you, and you?" If you come to Japan, try using that greeting and they'll respond with "はい、元気です"😃
ありがとうございました。 I live in the US and my friend/former neighbor (she is Japanese and has since moved back to Fukuoka), would carpool to work with me. She would often greet me with 「だいじょぶ？」
ありがとうございますまいせんせい。I now feel a bit awful as I have only been learning Japanese for about 5 months and initially via Busuu I did ask my Japanese friend おげんきですか？She answered in a lovely manner but I now hope I didn't make her uncomfortable 😅. Where I am from in North East England we always say 'how are you' 'alright?' Or 'how are you doing?' to almost anyone (even those we don't know well!) so its just trying to remember the cultural differences! 🙂
Did she answer "げんきです"? 😀 This question is not rude, so it's fine! We also learn "How are you?" and "I'm fine thank you, and you?" in our first English class.
Hi,very interesting, difference between real life conversations and apps /books , learning by heart sentences that are useless or sound weird ,even if learning is never a bad thing at all . Precious lessons👌よくがんばいましたね🌸.
Same in Germany, we just say "Na, das schaut ja schon wieder nach dunklen Wolken aus, erstmal eine Leberkässemmel ziehen" to initiate casual and formal conversation alike. Very convenient.
İn Türkiye, we have a very similar culture in this manner. You just don't say 'How are you?' and we have a very similar saying for 'otsukaresama deshita' which is 'kolay gelsin' ... you can say it as often as you can to people that you just met, or even to people whom you know that are working at that moment.
I think I’ve really only used it when sending texts to my mother-in-law or acquaintances I haven’t spoken with in some time and are more formal with. Maybe New Years greetings? Occasions where it was more formal or the native speaker asked me first and I responded in kind. Usually I don’t often use it.
@@studywithmai. I’m trying to think of a time when I’ve said it. 🤔 I usually see it in manga between friends. Like a: “よー！元気かい” type of situation. I’ve lived here for almost 20 years now, so almost half my life? I wouldn’t say I’m fluent but I’m pretty high level conversational. I like to follow pages like this because it helps. You can never get enough “exposure” with native speakers and can always “up your game” when it comes to a second or third language. Japanese is my third language and I’m also studying Korean and Mandarin as my third and fourth. I love languages. Your English is really wonderful, by the way! Excellent pronunciation and really clear, easy to follow explanations and translations.
I always see videos like this, but when I talk to my Japanese friends, they always say げんき？？ in an inquisitive tone when I talk to them. I think part of it depends on the person too. As with all languages and cultures, you may need to adapt your speech to the audience in ways that include more than just status or relation.
this is just a mistake. no need to highlight. what's more Mai has always been patient to teach with nice attitude just like a neighborhood sister. She deserves to be praised 👍!
Thanks for the explanation! It would be interesting to know some situations where it really *is* appropriate to ask “o genki desu ka” also. I’m assuming say you’re with a freind and you notice they’re coughing a lot or something like that so you genuinely want to show some concern for their health by asking them this question :)
"How are you?" - When an English speaker asks this, it is not a formality as most suppose. It is asking "What is your present mood? Your mindset?" One asks it to discover how the convo is going to proceed.
Japanese people definitely do say 元気？ to mean something like "how are you?" It's more accurate to say that Japanese people do not habitually ask others about how they're doing unless there's a reason to do so. Some people, however, do ask this question to those they know without a significant pretext. Amongst university students and young professionals in big cities you may be unlikely to meet such a person, but they do exist. I really dislike this kind of "oh no I'm making a terrible mistake????" style of clickbait.
@@studywithmai.So answer nothing ‼️ just smile....it's not so important..RELAX ! If you don't want (or if you can't) adapt to this slight new situation... we, foreigners, will understand your issue... We all know that most Japanese are complicated and don't want to change anything !!! 😅
Mai san, I'm learning Japanese because I'd love to visit your lovely country. Since I'm a native-born American, I sometimes inflect my voice when questioning someone in Japanese. Would that confuse a Japanese person who doesn't understand English? I'd love to sound Japanese. But I doubt I can hide my American accent. Thanks so much.
Thank you for your comment! No, it's not confusing at all. Intonation is not important and have little effect in Japanese. So just memorize vocabulary without worrying about it😉
@@studywithmai. Domo arigato gozarimasu for the good news. I pay language plenty of attention because I proofread for a publisher, So, I'm sorry about putting a comma where a period belonged. Thank you again, Mai san. I'll enjoy learning from you. If I visit your country on a visa, I'll already adore it enough that your government may need to deport me. :) Seriously, I'm reading books about Japanese society and finding much to admire.
How do you get "where do you want to eat" from どこ行く? It's literal translation is where to go. Or where do (you) want to go. But where do you want to eat?
Arigatou gozaimasu Mai Sensei , Would you explain under title Japanese words like : Arigatou, Genky , easy to learn, because most of people are not Japanese, but we like to learning Japanese speaking, Arigatou gozaimasu Mai Sensei ❤❤
If you meet with your Japanese teacher regularly, it would be nice to say things like "Hello. It's hot today. I went to the fireworks festival this weekend.(こんにちは。きょうは あついですね。しゅうまつつ はなびたいかいに いきました)"😉
I think the issue is when you say, "How are you?" you aren't literally asking that... Its not quite an idiom, but its still a tradition thing to do, to ask how someone's "health" is to show you are compassionate before proceeding on. Its actually often very awkward if someone literally answers. Take the french double-kiss greeting in which the parties a quick kiss on each cheek or the Tibetan monk tongue sticking where you stick your tongue out towards the other person. Both of which would seem very awkward and confusing if you didn't know about the tradition. Thankfully there's no countries that great each other by spitting or punching each other, the book/movie Dune had an excellent example of such a custom (to offer up ones water by spitting towards the guest/host). But out of curiosity is "Genki desu ka" interpretted the same as the literally "how are you?"? I feel like if I had just lost a loved kne, extremely depressed, etc... I would be "healthy" (usually mental health isn't included in generic health unless specified). Or if I broke my arm and its recovering fine, if asked how I was I'd respond that I was "great, my arm should heal up in no time" (could be again the tradition of always answering in the affirmative). Specifically is "Genki desu ka" something that would be normal to hear from a doctor/nurse or is it just really weird phrasing regardless?
For example, if a parent and their child lived far away and the child was writing a letter to the parent, "ogenki desuka?" would be used at the beginning of the sentence. But now we have smartphones and apps like the LINE app, so fewer people use this.
This is a situation in which you would use "順調?" 🌟You and your colleague are working on a project together. You've been working separately for a while, and then you ask him, "How's it going?(順調?)"
The thing you might not understand is..... Westerners are not too bothered what they "should" say, as we are not as conformist over here. Perhaps I "should" bow, but in the bible entire nations have lost their salvation through bowing to idols, so.... I bow to Christ alone. The Japanese should also consider that they "should" understand our cultural differences, and that we are more happy-go-lucky
@@studywithmai. well no real situation. my beginner brain would have used 'ga' as a particle instead of 'ka' ... can you explain why it is 'ka' for those sentences at 2:25 . as i said, i am a very beginner :D ... just dont know the grammar behind the 'ka' in the sentence. For me as of now 'ka' is the question particle at the end of sentences :D
That's right. If you add "ka" to the end of a sentence, it becomes a question. Like this: これは おいしいです(This is delicious.) これは おいしいですか?(Is this delicious?)
Hello Mai, why do japenese people get uncomfortable when someone is genuinely learning the language and making a real effort but sometimes say things in the wrong context or perhaps innapropriately? Why is there not grace and forgiveness for the learner? I've seen alot of content lately about how Japan seems rather intolerant of foreigners. In America, when I see someone trying to speak the language, the last thing I want to do is discourage them or make them feel bad if they make a mistake. I'll keep learning but it's strange to me to hear these things. Especially since in my opinion, japanese is way harder than English. Thank and enjoyed this little five minute lesson :)
@@studywithmai. Yes, at 23 seconds into the video, you said that. If that was a mistake, no problem. It makes sense to be confused, I would be too if it was not appropriate use of the phrase. Thanks! Love from america!
Can you provide more examples for what to say when meeting a friend? Asking "どこ行く？” assumes you've arranged to meet. But what would you say if you just happened to meet your friend by chance? For example, you go to the station and you see that your friend is also waiting for the train.
Thank you for your comment😊 If I meet a friend by chance, I call her by name, "Mai-chan" or "Mai." Then, I might ask "どこ行くの？(Where are you going?)" or "何してるの？(What are you doing?)"
Ahh gimme a break you don’t see someone for more than a week and they ask you if you were Genki datta? On the other hand I can count the number of times someone’s said konnichiwa to me this year on one hand
I think the problem is, a lot of teachers and textbooks teach a kind of Japanese that is merely a literal translation of what one might say in English. Instead of teaching students to say literal translations of English into Japanese, teachers and textbooks need to teach students how to think in Japanese; teach Japanese that Japanese native speakers actually use. English speakers ask "How are you?/How do you do?" So they want to feel comfortable by saying something familiar to their culture, and that's "お元気ですか？" It would be as off-putting as having a Japanese person ask out of the blue, "Hello! You must be tired." Students must be warned of falling into the trap of merely translating from their language to Japanese. 元気 actually means "baseline energy." "Are you at baseline energy?" The concept of 気 can be a lesson in itself as it is part of many Japanese expressions, such as 気になる, 気にする, 気持ち, 気分, etc. Anyway, yeah I think お元気ですか is a good thing to nip in the bud, and a good starting point to show students that Japanese and English aren't always, if ever, equivalent 1 to 1. Someone I know who thought they were speaking Japanese told me "こんにちは、友達。いかがですか？" It literally means "Hello, friend. How is it?" First of all, I'm not your friend, and how is what? Same vibes. お元気ですか seems a bit... like you're trying to get too close early on and may put Japanese people off. Anyway, that's enough yapping from me today.
That's a good interpretation! >>元気 actually means "baseline energy." "Are you at baseline energy?" That's why I have mixed feelings when someone asks me, "元気ですか?" 😅
question. I am Australian and our general greeting is g'day which is short for good day. is the best translation of this saying gokigenyo or is there a better one. I am only a beginner at this language.
Wait... when meeting someone for the first time, shouldn't 「はじめまして」 be said after the greeting (「おはようございます」, or 「こんにちは」, or 「こんばんは」), and your name, while 「よろしくお願いします」 (「どうぞよろしくお願いします」) should be said at the very end of the introduction? 🤔 At least, this is what all the Japanese learning courses/books say... Also, I'm afraid the translation of「どこ行く」is wrong... it doesn't mean "What do you want to eat", but (literally) "Where to go"... if you want to ask "Where are you going/where do you go", you should say 「どこに行く」…
In Japan, at the beginning of English class we learn "How are you? - I'm fine thank you, and you?" It seems they couldn't find a Japanese version of this phrase.
@@studywithmai. too late. I just came back. If I had seen your video first, I would have. The people who greeted me didn’t say what you said in video but I have no idea what they said…I will ask my teacher
But in British English, people used to say “How do you do” on initial introduction! Not a question, and the proper response was, “How do you do”. This is now considered archaic. I seem to recall Americans saying “How are you” in the same way, sometimes being interpreted as a question rather than a greeting.
@@kly8192 I'm British and first of all, that's not true. There are plenty of regions where "how do you do" is in common use. Secondly, that's not how we use the word "archaic." For something to qualify as archaic is needs to have fallen out of fashion many many years ago (words like "thee" and "thou" for example.) More to the point though, in textbooks for non-English speakers there is a structure that people are taught which goes, "how are you?" "I'm fine thank you, and you?" That's a very unnatural way to greet someone and this structure seems to be taught to anyone studying a second language. The lady in the video is giving an example of the structure Japanese-learners are given and how it's not usual, and I was pointing out that this isn't unique to people studying Japanese.
@@poursmoregravy569 Thanks for the correction. I should have said “in North America”, and admittedly archaic only to a degree, as people in my generation still use the expression in more formal introductions.
In the video, I say, "we feel a little uncomfortable, when asked, "genki desuka?"
What I meant to say was, "I feel confused and don't know how to respond."
3:46 Correction: "どこ行く？(Where do you want to go?)"🙏
To be precise, "How are you?" would also be inappropriate in most of those situations in UK English - to a boss or senior colleague, someone you don't know well. To my ear, the phrase presupposes a personal relationship. I remember being asked "How are you?" by a shop clerk in San Francisco and it feeling incredibly strange.
The other point is that most of the time "How are you?" is like お疲れ様, merely a greeting. One is not expected to take it seriously and respond with a point-by-point health report. The typical response is "Fine. You?" This explains a dialectal variation that outsiders find very puzzling. In the East Midlands, it's common to greet someone by saying, "Alright(?)", to which the standard response is, "Alright". It's not a question or enquiry, just something to say and get over with.
I'm guessing that the tendency for English speakers to say お元気ですか got started because someone once asked for a translation of "How are you?" and the respondent did not actually understand the nuances of this phrase, took it literally and suggested お元気ですか. At that moment, a million awkward future conversations with Japanese learners were born...
Wow! Thank you for explaining in detail about "How are you?". Indeed, the Japanese "お疲れ様" is also just a meaningless greeting. By the way, "Alright" is useful in response to "how are you"!😃
Japanese often comment on the weather. いい天気ですね！さむいですね！ etc. again, not to be meant as anything more than a greeting.
I would disagree. It's asked all the time, but usually it's insincere or rhetorical. I always ask people but you don't expect people to go into details, just "fine thanks, you?" or "not too bad, you?"
Sooo....WHY DO TEXTBOOKS always bang on about this if it's not natural? For heavens sake!
I agree with you 😅
@@studywithmai. So many textbooks impede learner progress in Japanese.
@@jackclements2163 because in english textbooks i learned how do you do? Etc...
This clarification helps so much, as an adult learner of Japanese, textbooks can only go so far. Thank you for what you do.
Genki desuka is kind of like hisasshiburi. When you haven’t seen someone for a while you ask it.
Hisashiburrriiiiiii !!! Accompanied by the hectic exaggerated double hand wave 👋 directly in the person's face that you're speaking to.
Yes this is how I understand it as a well
Thanks very much for this! Learning a language requires understanding not only of the words and grammar, but also the culture and the history.
This will be very helpful!
Thank you for your useful comments!!
I already knew these explanations, so I learnt nothing... yet, I found this video great and very useful for beginners. Continue like that. We need more videos telling people how to properly speak in Japanese 😊
Learn when to say something and when not in a language is so important. Thanks Mai for teaching us about this 🥰🥰
Love your clear explanation of Japanese. Lots of TH-camrs talk too fast. You are great. Thanks!!
One of the best channels on learning conversational Japanese. Arigatogozaimasu!
Thank you for your nice comment😀🙌
Nice video. I think adding in お先に失礼します when at work is important too. I say it often because I'm just an assistant. Sometimes I just copy what my other coworkers say ahaha One of them would say, 'お先に失礼します。' and then everyone would say お疲れ様でした～
That’s right!! You are very familiar with Japanese culture😁
Very useful to learn the nuances of certain sentences, because that's quite difficult as a learner. I also have a Japanese colleague and it's nice to surprise him now and again with more Japanese sentences :)
Yep! Tell him “Otsukare samadesu” 😉
Even when I'm speaking japanese, i often greet my japanese friends with the english expression "Whats up"
But i still learned some things from this video, thanks.
Thank you. Clear and concise.
It’s really irritating that textbooks or standard Japanese courses always teach お元気ですか and always the literal translation for おつかれさまです. I didn’t know it was just a greeting like how are you and can be used in these situations. TH-cam Japanese lessons have been helping me sooo much. Thank you!!
We also learn "How are you?" first in English classes at school. And the answer is "I'm fine thank you, and you?"😁
Arigatou gozaimasu, Maisensei. You explain things very well. I will follow your channel.
Thank you for your watching! My English isn't very good but I'll go on making videos😉
Thanks for the video! It’s good to have the nuances of these phrases I’m already familiar with explained by a native speaker!
I usually stick with a generic weather comment as an opener. 今日はいい天気ですね。Regardless of culture the weather small talk feels universal and inoffensive.
I agree with you!!
So useful lesson I’ve interested in studying Japanese since the half of 2022, actually. Though I’m not good at speaking foreign language, I won’t give up trying studying Japanese or English.. おつかれさまでした、まいさん
Thank you for your watching!! I’m also not good at speaking English but I’ll go on making videos🙋♀️
I was told that Hajimemashite means "Nice to meet you" and Yoroshiko onegaishimasu means "Please be good to me."
Great lesson, ありがとうございます
どういたしまして✨
Very helpful, thanks
You're welcome!!
It sounds impossibly difficult to learn to speak Japanese. This is a very good channel because it is of utmost importance to express things properly, otherwise very improper meanings will be conveyed! I think the most important task is to be sensitive to expectations, not to translate literally from our own vernacular.
I have studied the japanase language for almost 5 years but I have to continue ty sensei.
Thank you for studying Japanese!
@@studywithmai. Now I speak 3 languages. Spanish, English and Japanese .How about you?
Thank you teacher for this useful information.
I definitely learned to say 元気ですか and it just so happens that the only people im able to speak japanese with are close friends so its completely appropriate and i do want detailed info about their life and such. But in my class we were taught 元気ですか was more of a thing and the response if not answering seriously is お陰様で元気です。
We also learn this in English classes: "How are you?" and "I'm fine thank you, and you?" If you come to Japan, try using that greeting and they'll respond with "はい、元気です"😃
ありがとうございました。
I live in the US and my friend/former neighbor (she is Japanese and has since moved back to Fukuoka), would carpool to work with me. She would often greet me with 「だいじょぶ？」
どういたしまして😊
"だいじょうぶ?" means something like "Are you Ok/fine?". Basically, we might say this to someone who looks busy or in trouble.
@@studywithmai. Well, I’m not a morning person so I was always a bit disheveled in the morning when we carpooled. 😅
I indeed start my conversation with how are you, later I found out that's how old people greet each other. But I still do say it
thank you very much for yours tips, i'll start to use these sentences in my daily japanese conversations
Good luck!✨
ありがとうございますまいせんせい。I now feel a bit awful as I have only been learning Japanese for about 5 months and initially via Busuu I did ask my Japanese friend おげんきですか？She answered in a lovely manner but I now hope I didn't make her uncomfortable 😅. Where I am from in North East England we always say 'how are you' 'alright?' Or 'how are you doing?' to almost anyone (even those we don't know well!) so its just trying to remember the cultural differences! 🙂
Did she answer "げんきです"? 😀 This question is not rude, so it's fine! We also learn "How are you?" and "I'm fine thank you, and you?" in our first English class.
@@studywithmai. That is interesting to know. I think she did say げんきです。ありがとうございます! So hopefully it did not make her uncomfortable
Hi,very interesting, difference between real life conversations and apps /books , learning by heart sentences that are useless or sound weird ,even if learning is never a bad thing at all . Precious lessons👌よくがんばいましたね🌸.
Thank you for your watching💓
In Indonesia, we just use the Master Password: "Assalamualaikum." Doesn't matter who you're talking to or what time of day it is. Works for all.
Same in Germany, we just say "Na, das schaut ja schon wieder nach dunklen Wolken aus, erstmal eine Leberkässemmel ziehen" to initiate casual and formal conversation alike. Very convenient.
@@minhuang8848alter xD
İn Türkiye, we have a very similar culture in this manner. You just don't say 'How are you?' and
we have a very similar saying for 'otsukaresama deshita' which is 'kolay gelsin' ... you can say it as often as you can to people that you just met, or even to people whom you know that are working at that moment.
I think I’ve really only used it when sending texts to my mother-in-law or acquaintances I haven’t spoken with in some time and are more formal with. Maybe New Years greetings? Occasions where it was more formal or the native speaker asked me first and I responded in kind. Usually I don’t often use it.
I agree with you. It’s fine to write this in a letter or text😃
@@studywithmai. I’m trying to think of a time when I’ve said it. 🤔 I usually see it in manga between friends. Like a: “よー！元気かい” type of situation. I’ve lived here for almost 20 years now, so almost half my life? I wouldn’t say I’m fluent but I’m pretty high level conversational. I like to follow pages like this because it helps. You can never get enough “exposure” with native speakers and can always “up your game” when it comes to a second or third language. Japanese is my third language and I’m also studying Korean and Mandarin as my third and fourth. I love languages. Your English is really wonderful, by the way! Excellent pronunciation and really clear, easy to follow explanations and translations.
Thanks for this lesson❤
Thank you, can't wait your next video
I always see videos like this, but when I talk to my Japanese friends, they always say げんき？？ in an inquisitive tone when I talk to them. I think part of it depends on the person too. As with all languages and cultures, you may need to adapt your speech to the audience in ways that include more than just status or relation.
Now I know why people laugh nervously when I ask Genkidesuka?
Sorry😅 It's not rude, we just don't know how to respond.
いい動画ですよね！ありがとうございますまい先生
3:46 Mai please check i think need some correction
Oh~ I made mistakes all the time😂 You're right.
Correction: "どこ行く？(Where do you want to go?)"
this is just a mistake. no need to highlight. what's more Mai has always been patient to teach with nice attitude just like a neighborhood sister. She deserves to be praised 👍!
lol hey boss, you healthy?😂 thanks for this I will now keep this in mind!!
"That's enough"
🫣 Okay ma'am 🥲
Great video. Subscribed! Thank you 🙏🏽
Thanks for the explanation! It would be interesting to know some situations where it really *is* appropriate to ask “o genki desu ka” also. I’m assuming say you’re with a freind and you notice they’re coughing a lot or something like that so you genuinely want to show some concern for their health by asking them this question :)
If your friend has a cough, ask them: "かぜ？(You have a cold?)" or "だいじょうぶ？(Are you OK?)"😉
"How are you?" - When an English speaker asks this, it is not a formality as most suppose. It is asking "What is your present mood? Your mindset?"
One asks it to discover how the convo is going to proceed.
Thank you for your comment😃
When starting a conversation, we might talk about the weather☀️☔️
@@studywithmai. Like
i tenki desu ne
@@studywithmai. You present well. I will learn much from you.
Thanks teacher.... バリ島 から、よろしく
よろしくおねがいします！
@@studywithmai. i ll learn from u now on....thanks teacher
Nice work Mai, i learn a lot today
Here in the states we say, yo what's poppin my g.
Well, i sure wish textbooks would get it together!!😄😅
Arigato Gozoimazu Sensei. I sucribing your channel now😊
Douitashimashite. Thank you for your subscribing😃
Japanese people definitely do say 元気？ to mean something like "how are you?" It's more accurate to say that Japanese people do not habitually ask others about how they're doing unless there's a reason to do so. Some people, however, do ask this question to those they know without a significant pretext. Amongst university students and young professionals in big cities you may be unlikely to meet such a person, but they do exist. I really dislike this kind of "oh no I'm making a terrible mistake????" style of clickbait.
Thank you for this lesson. I just subscribed to your channel.
Thank you for your watching!! my English isn't very good but I do my best to make videos😉
@@studywithmai. I think your English is good ! You're a very good teacher! ☺
I once asked that to my sensei. She was surprised and confused 😂. Then she realized it was my American habit so she asked me back lol.
Don't worry, it's not rude to ask "genki desuka?". It's just that we don't know how to respond😅
@@studywithmai.So answer nothing ‼️ just smile....it's not so important..RELAX !
If you don't want (or if you can't) adapt to this slight new situation... we, foreigners, will understand your issue...
We all know that most Japanese are complicated and don't want to change anything !!! 😅
Mai san, I'm learning Japanese because I'd love to visit your lovely country. Since I'm a native-born American, I sometimes inflect my voice when questioning someone in Japanese. Would that confuse a Japanese person who doesn't understand English? I'd love to sound Japanese. But I doubt I can hide my American accent. Thanks so much.
Thank you for your comment!
No, it's not confusing at all. Intonation is not important and have little effect in Japanese. So just memorize vocabulary without worrying about it😉
@@studywithmai. Domo arigato gozarimasu for the good news. I pay language plenty of attention because I proofread for a publisher, So, I'm sorry about putting a comma where a period belonged.
Thank you again, Mai san. I'll enjoy learning from you. If I visit your country on a visa, I'll already adore it enough that your government may need to deport me. :)
Seriously, I'm reading books about Japanese society and finding much to admire.
Thank you for the video! :)
I don't need to ask, I just put on my scouter and check the person's power level.
Nice video. Subscribed. Best wishes from the UK. どうもありがとうございました。
どういたしまして💓
ありがとうございました！
How do you get "where do you want to eat" from どこ行く? It's literal translation is where to go. Or where do (you) want to go. But where do you want to eat?
Is it implied If you were talking about レストラン before hand? Or can you just say とご行く
Thank you for your comment😃
Sorry, I have a typo💦
3:46 Correction: "どこ行く？(Where do you want to go?/Where shall we go?)"
@@studywithmai. no worries I was just confused. バでオをありがとう
Arigatou gozaimasu Mai Sensei , Would you explain under title Japanese words like : Arigatou, Genky , easy to learn, because most of people are not Japanese, but we like to learning Japanese speaking, Arigatou gozaimasu Mai Sensei ❤❤
ありがとう
Just the first time watching, very helpful
noone except english-speakers say "how are you"
おはようございます、これは初めてチャネルをめて。一年間にほんごをべんきょうしています。にほんの先生に何がいいますか？
Loved the video, very clear English.
If you meet with your Japanese teacher regularly, it would be nice to say things like "Hello. It's hot today. I went to the fireworks festival this weekend.(こんにちは。きょうは あついですね。しゅうまつつ はなびたいかいに いきました)"😉
@@studywithmai.しゅうまつつ did you mean しゅうまつ。 たいていには言います こんにちはや おはようございます。 や、元気ですか。
@@studywithmai. Would you ever say 調子はどうですか？or is this more casual with friends?
"Have you been anywhere recently?(さいきん どこか いきましたか？" is probably better.👍
I think the issue is when you say, "How are you?" you aren't literally asking that... Its not quite an idiom, but its still a tradition thing to do, to ask how someone's "health" is to show you are compassionate before proceeding on. Its actually often very awkward if someone literally answers.
Take the french double-kiss greeting in which the parties a quick kiss on each cheek or the Tibetan monk tongue sticking where you stick your tongue out towards the other person. Both of which would seem very awkward and confusing if you didn't know about the tradition.
Thankfully there's no countries that great each other by spitting or punching each other, the book/movie Dune had an excellent example of such a custom (to offer up ones water by spitting towards the guest/host).
But out of curiosity is "Genki desu ka" interpretted the same as the literally "how are you?"? I feel like if I had just lost a loved kne, extremely depressed, etc... I would be "healthy" (usually mental health isn't included in generic health unless specified). Or if I broke my arm and its recovering fine, if asked how I was I'd respond that I was "great, my arm should heal up in no time" (could be again the tradition of always answering in the affirmative). Specifically is "Genki desu ka" something that would be normal to hear from a doctor/nurse or is it just really weird phrasing regardless?
For example, if a parent and their child lived far away and the child was writing a letter to the parent, "ogenki desuka?" would be used at the beginning of the sentence.
But now we have smartphones and apps like the LINE app, so fewer people use this.
@@studywithmai. Ah thanks for the context
Hello! May I know the background music in this video? It was very soothing to listen to
How about 順調? Could u explain in wich situation can i say it
This is a situation in which you would use "順調?"
🌟You and your colleague are working on a project together. You've been working separately for a while, and then you ask him, "How's it going?(順調?)"
If I meet a person or the first time and they greet me with よろしくおねがいします should I respond the same in full or is it okay to just respond with よろしく?
You should reply with the same phrase, "よろしくおねがいします." It's okay to say "よろしく" to close friends or juniors.
I see. ありがとうございます！
It's going to be a bit tricky not using "genki" when I greet my colleague, largely because his name is Genki. 😉
Nice name 💓
i'm just going to use お疲れ様 for everything 😂
In the workplace😉
The thing you might not understand is..... Westerners are not too bothered what they "should" say, as we are not as conformist over here. Perhaps I "should" bow, but in the bible entire nations have lost their salvation through bowing to idols, so.... I bow to Christ alone. The Japanese should also consider that they "should" understand our cultural differences, and that we are more happy-go-lucky
Bro are you good? Japan has their own culture. Respect it they shouldn't have to accommodate you. As a guest you should be accommodating.
@@TheRedOGRE i generalised.... however i do not do bowing
Kirei Sensei! 😍
Quick question from a beginner... why is it nani ka itta / nani ka shita. I would have used ga instead of ka... Can someone explain? :)
Please tell me the situation😉 When and to whom would you like to say that?
@@studywithmai. well no real situation. my beginner brain would have used 'ga' as a particle instead of 'ka' ... can you explain why it is 'ka' for those sentences at 2:25 .
as i said, i am a very beginner :D ... just dont know the grammar behind the 'ka' in the sentence. For me as of now 'ka' is the question particle at the end of sentences :D
That's right. If you add "ka" to the end of a sentence, it becomes a question. Like this:
これは おいしいです(This is delicious.)
これは おいしいですか?(Is this delicious?)
お疲れ様です
お疲れ様です😊
I just asked an employer for a dream job "ogenki desu ka?" in an email 😂🥃
Don't worry, “ogenki desuka?" is a good written phrase to use in a letter, etc.
@@studywithmai. Ahhh thank God 😆
Hello Mai, why do japenese people get uncomfortable when someone is genuinely learning the language and making a real effort but sometimes say things in the wrong context or perhaps innapropriately? Why is there not grace and forgiveness for the learner? I've seen alot of content lately about how Japan seems rather intolerant of foreigners. In America, when I see someone trying to speak the language, the last thing I want to do is discourage them or make them feel bad if they make a mistake. I'll keep learning but it's strange to me to hear these things. Especially since in my opinion, japanese is way harder than English. Thank and enjoyed this little five minute lesson :)
Thank you for your comment😃
Oh did I say "uncomfortable?" I wanted to say "I'm confused" because I don't know what to answer. Sorry💦
@@studywithmai. Yes, at 23 seconds into the video, you said that. If that was a mistake, no problem. It makes sense to be confused, I would be too if it was not appropriate use of the phrase. Thanks! Love from america!
Can you provide more examples for what to say when meeting a friend? Asking "どこ行く？” assumes you've arranged to meet. But what would you say if you just happened to meet your friend by chance? For example, you go to the station and you see that your friend is also waiting for the train.
Thank you for your comment😊
If I meet a friend by chance, I call her by name, "Mai-chan" or "Mai." Then, I might ask "どこ行くの？(Where are you going?)" or "何してるの？(What are you doing?)"
Good video thank you❤
Welcome♡
What if you meet a friend after a long time, but you aren’t close enough to drop keigo? Would something like, お久しぶりです。元気していましたか？ be appropriate?
Yes, I think it’s a good introduction👍
If I want to speak how I want speak, can I speak to Japanese people or they will ban me?
If you come to Japan, you will be surprised that most Japanese people cannot speak English. So you need to speak Japanese😁
Mai san kawaii❤❤
Arigato Gozaimasu mam❤❤❤
very good video
Thank you!
To start, konichi wa n bye bye
So you can just say "nani taberu" and it's a question? You don't need ka at the end for casual?
Thank you for your comment😃
"Nani taberu?" is a casual way of saying "Nani o tabemasu ka?"
@@studywithmai. Thank you!
I moved to Japan last year and it's so difficult!
You can say normal sentences with a rising intonation to make it a question.
ありがとうございます、まいせんせい
どういたしまして😃
Ahh gimme a break you don’t see someone for more than a week and they ask you if you were Genki datta?
On the other hand I can count the number of times someone’s said konnichiwa to me this year on one hand
You can say, "Genki datta?" but I would just say, "Hisashiburi!" After that, we’ll start a conversation like normal😃
I think the problem is, a lot of teachers and textbooks teach a kind of Japanese that is merely a literal translation of what one might say in English.
Instead of teaching students to say literal translations of English into Japanese, teachers and textbooks need to teach students how to think in Japanese; teach Japanese that Japanese native speakers actually use.
English speakers ask "How are you?/How do you do?" So they want to feel comfortable by saying something familiar to their culture, and that's "お元気ですか？"
It would be as off-putting as having a Japanese person ask out of the blue, "Hello! You must be tired."
Students must be warned of falling into the trap of merely translating from their language to Japanese.
元気 actually means "baseline energy." "Are you at baseline energy?" The concept of 気 can be a lesson in itself as it is part of many Japanese expressions, such as 気になる, 気にする, 気持ち, 気分, etc.
Anyway, yeah I think お元気ですか is a good thing to nip in the bud, and a good starting point to show students that Japanese and English aren't always, if ever, equivalent 1 to 1.
Someone I know who thought they were speaking Japanese told me "こんにちは、友達。いかがですか？" It literally means "Hello, friend. How is it?" First of all, I'm not your friend, and how is what?
Same vibes. お元気ですか seems a bit... like you're trying to get too close early on and may put Japanese people off. Anyway, that's enough yapping from me today.
That's a good interpretation!
>>元気 actually means "baseline energy." "Are you at baseline energy?"
That's why I have mixed feelings when someone asks me, "元気ですか?" 😅
question. I am Australian and our general greeting is g'day which is short for good day. is the best translation of this saying gokigenyo or is there a better one. I am only a beginner at this language.
Thank you for your comment😃
The literal translation of "g'day" would be "こんにちは(hello)". We say "こんにちは" when we meet acquaintances, but not friends.
What do you think of 調子どうですか
Is this only for explaining "how are you" as a phrase?
I don't say "調子どうですか?"😅 In what situation would you like to say this?
Wait... when meeting someone for the first time, shouldn't 「はじめまして」 be said after the greeting (「おはようございます」, or 「こんにちは」, or 「こんばんは」), and your name, while 「よろしくお願いします」 (「どうぞよろしくお願いします」) should be said at the very end of the introduction? 🤔
At least, this is what all the Japanese learning courses/books say...
Also, I'm afraid the translation of「どこ行く」is wrong... it doesn't mean "What do you want to eat", but (literally) "Where to go"... if you want to ask "Where are you going/where do you go", you should say 「どこに行く」…
Sorry, I have a typo🙏
3:46 Correction: どこ行く？(Where do you want to go?/Where shall we go?)
If people ask "お元気ですか?" How can we answer back? thanks!
I would reply, "はい、元気です." Just like in the textbook😁
3:50 the English is incorrect "where should we go?"
That’s right!
I like her! まいが好きですよ！😉👍
Thank you!
The English translation @3:44 might need editing
*Very* helpful video!
I often find myself saying 「久しぶり！最近どう？」 in lieu of 「元気？」. Does that seem okay as well?
Yes, I think it's fine to say that to friends you haven't seen in a while😀
@@studywithmai. ありがとう！:) もう教室で「元気ですか？」勉強を止めるほうがいいかな。よく友達が東京に来るとその言い方を使う。いつも「この状態にはそれ言うのがちょっと可笑しい」言っている :D
In Japan, at the beginning of English class we learn "How are you? - I'm fine thank you, and you?" It seems they couldn't find a Japanese version of this phrase.
外国人にはお疲れ様っていう習慣が理解できないらしいです笑
特に意味のない挨拶ですよね😁
I just saw another TH-cam vid and the Japanese people greeted each other o Genki desk ka…..so, huh?
Oh really!? So, you should check it out in Japan 😁
@@studywithmai. too late. I just came back. If I had seen your video first, I would have. The people who greeted me didn’t say what you said in video but I have no idea what they said…I will ask my teacher
🌸🌸🌸👍🦋
💓💓💓
Just like how we don't ask "how are you?" in English. We ask "how's it going?"
Thank you!!
But in British English, people used to say “How do you do” on initial introduction! Not a question, and the proper response was, “How do you do”. This is now considered archaic. I seem to recall Americans saying “How are you” in the same way, sometimes being interpreted as a question rather than a greeting.
@@kly8192 I'm British and first of all, that's not true. There are plenty of regions where "how do you do" is in common use. Secondly, that's not how we use the word "archaic." For something to qualify as archaic is needs to have fallen out of fashion many many years ago (words like "thee" and "thou" for example.)
More to the point though, in textbooks for non-English speakers there is a structure that people are taught which goes, "how are you?" "I'm fine thank you, and you?" That's a very unnatural way to greet someone and this structure seems to be taught to anyone studying a second language. The lady in the video is giving an example of the structure Japanese-learners are given and how it's not usual, and I was pointing out that this isn't unique to people studying Japanese.
@@poursmoregravy569 Thanks for the correction. I should have said “in North America”, and admittedly archaic only to a degree, as people in my generation still use the expression in more formal introductions.
I thought it's dozoyoroshiku negaishimasu. Why just Yoroshiku?
Both have a same meaning. Yoroshiku is more casual 😀