Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Today’s phrase in Japanese is “Ogenki desu ka お元気ですか.”
Although Ogenki desu ka お元気ですか “Are you well?” is sometimes taught in Japanese language textbooks for English speakers as the equivalent of “How are you?”, the frequency of its usage is far below that of “How are you?” One does not indiscriminately direct the question Ogenki desu ka to everyone one encounters. In English, “How are you?” has almost been reduced to the status of a greeting, and it often serves merely as another way of saying “Hi!” Ogenki desu ka, on the other hand, has remained a gunuine quesiton and is reserved for someone one has not seen for a long time.

March 7th News, from NILS Japanese language school.