How to Say ‘How is Father doing?’ in Japanese
お義父さんはお元気ですか？
o tou san wa o genki desu ka
[o too-SAHN san wah o gen-kee dess kah]
Phrase Breakdown
お義父さんは
o tou san wa
your father-in-law (topic)
お義父さん (otousan) means father-in-law. Here は is pronounced 'wa': o-too-san-wa.
お義父さんは医者です。
My father-in-law is a doctor.
Words in this phrase
お
o
[o]
polite prefix
Prefix added for politeness.
お名前は？
What is your name?
義父
tou
[too-SAHN]
father-in-law
Spouse's father; with お and さん it is a polite address.
義父は釣りが好きです。
My father-in-law likes fishing.
さん
san
[san]
Mr.; Ms.; polite suffix
A polite suffix added to a person's name or role.
お医者さんが来ました。
The doctor came.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker
は marks the topic of the sentence.
空席はありますか。
Are there any seats available?
お元気ですか？
o genki desu ka
is he well?
This is a polite 'how is he?'. Say it as o-gen-ki des-ka, with a rising tone at the end.
お母さんはお元気ですか？
Is your mother well?
Words in this phrase
お
o
[o]
polite prefix
Prefix added for politeness.
お名前は？
What is your name?
元気
genki
[gen-kee]
energetic; well
A common word meaning healthy, energetic, or doing well.
今日は元気です。
I am energetic today.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
か
ka
[kah]
question particle
か turns the sentence into a polite question.
行きますかと聞きました。
I asked, 'Will you go?'
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