Golgo_13
Jun 19, 2004, 12:42
Just wanted to let y'all know that the phrase/question "Ogenki desuka?" should not be overused like its English equivalent.
Japanese people ask that question only when they're concerned about the person's health--that's what "genki" means, "good health." They ask it when seeing someone they have not seen in a while. When visiting someone who is ill and staying in the hospital, for example, what you would ask is "Choushi doudesuka?" or "Guai wa doudesuka?" (both meaning "how is your condition?"). You wouldn't ask "Ogenki desuka?" because you already KNOW he's NOT genki--that's why he's in the hospital!
When people get to work in the morning, they greet each other with an "Ohayo gozaimasu!" and get to work. They don't bother asking each other how they are each and every morning they see each other. Whereas here in Los Angeles I reply to a "How are you?", "How are you doing?" or "How goes it?" about 10 times each work day from the same people I see everyday because most Americans use the phrase as a greeting--true greetings are "Hello", "Hi!", "Good morning," etc.--instead of as a question which it is. Some even ask "How you doin'?" and before I could even respond he's already walked away and gone because to him, it was like saying "hi."
If you meet someone in Japan for the first time, a "Hajime mashite, yoroshiku onegai shimasu" is plenty. You don't need to ask about his health right away. It's not impolite NOT to ask. With acquaintances, you still don't need to ask every time you see them, although in the West at home every morning people might ask a family member how he is when he awakens and comes out to the kitchen.
BTW, many years ago when I waited tables at a Japanese restaurant in NYC the servers were instructed to greet customers with only a "Good Evening". The owner used to say, "You already know how he is, if he was sick he'd be at home or in the hospital. Besides, even if he's physically healthy, he might have other personal problems he might be dealing with. You don't need to ask him and remind him."
A talk radio show host at KABC Los Angeles named "Mr. KABC" responds "Better than most, not as good as some" on the air every single time someone asks him how he is. :D
Japanese people ask that question only when they're concerned about the person's health--that's what "genki" means, "good health." They ask it when seeing someone they have not seen in a while. When visiting someone who is ill and staying in the hospital, for example, what you would ask is "Choushi doudesuka?" or "Guai wa doudesuka?" (both meaning "how is your condition?"). You wouldn't ask "Ogenki desuka?" because you already KNOW he's NOT genki--that's why he's in the hospital!
When people get to work in the morning, they greet each other with an "Ohayo gozaimasu!" and get to work. They don't bother asking each other how they are each and every morning they see each other. Whereas here in Los Angeles I reply to a "How are you?", "How are you doing?" or "How goes it?" about 10 times each work day from the same people I see everyday because most Americans use the phrase as a greeting--true greetings are "Hello", "Hi!", "Good morning," etc.--instead of as a question which it is. Some even ask "How you doin'?" and before I could even respond he's already walked away and gone because to him, it was like saying "hi."
If you meet someone in Japan for the first time, a "Hajime mashite, yoroshiku onegai shimasu" is plenty. You don't need to ask about his health right away. It's not impolite NOT to ask. With acquaintances, you still don't need to ask every time you see them, although in the West at home every morning people might ask a family member how he is when he awakens and comes out to the kitchen.
BTW, many years ago when I waited tables at a Japanese restaurant in NYC the servers were instructed to greet customers with only a "Good Evening". The owner used to say, "You already know how he is, if he was sick he'd be at home or in the hospital. Besides, even if he's physically healthy, he might have other personal problems he might be dealing with. You don't need to ask him and remind him."
A talk radio show host at KABC Los Angeles named "Mr. KABC" responds "Better than most, not as good as some" on the air every single time someone asks him how he is. :D