4. How Are You?

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こんにちは

Hello

お元気ですか

How are you

はい、元気です

Yes, I'm well

ありがとうございます

Thank you

水はいいですか

Would water be okay

はい、水はいいです

Yes, water is fine

どうぞ

Here you go

ありがとう

Thanks

大丈夫ですか

Are you okay

ちょっと

A little

いいえ、大丈夫です

No, I'm fine

はい、元気です

Yes, I'm well

ありがとうございます

Thank you

水は大丈夫ですか

Is the water all right

はい、大丈夫です

Yes, it's fine

どうも

Thanks

はい、元気です

Yes, I'm well

ありがとうございます

Thank you

じゃあね

See you

じゃあね

See you

Cultural Notes

Japanese people rarely say "no" directly

You almost never hear いいえ in everyday conversation. Instead of flat-out saying no, people soften it — they might say ちょっと and trail off, or say 大丈夫です with a polite smile. It feels less blunt. If someone offers you water and you don't want it, 大丈夫です works like "I'm good, thanks" in English.

大丈夫 does double duty

大丈夫 can mean "I'm okay" when someone checks on you, but it's also how you politely turn things down — like saying "I'm fine" when a waiter offers more water. Context tells you which one it is. If someone looks worried and asks 大丈夫ですか, they're checking if you're all right. If they're offering something, 大丈夫です means "no thanks."

元気 is more than just "healthy"

When someone asks お元気ですか, they're not literally asking about your health — it's closer to "how are you?" or "how have you been?" You'll mostly hear it when you haven't seen someone in a while. For people you see every day, it would sound a bit odd, the same way you wouldn't say "how have you been?" to a coworker you just saw yesterday.