{"id":9981,"date":"2016-05-17T15:54:22","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T06:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=9981"},"modified":"2024-07-10T09:00:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T00:00:41","slug":"japanese-genki-manners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-genki-manners\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn Japanese – \u201cGenki\u201d aka the Source of Well-Being and Energy Flow of One’s Inner Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cO genki desu ka?\u201d
\n\u201cGenki desu.\u201c<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n The how-are-you-I-am-fine dialogue is probably always one of the first things that we learn in a new language, and Japanese is no exception. Here, we would assume the keyword of \u201cgenki\u201d would mean good or well, as in \u201cAre you doing well?\u201d Yet to the Japanese, \u201cgenki\u201d can refer to one\u2019s well-being both physically and mentally, and possibly something beyond that. Now let\u2019s consider some of the common Japanese expressions that concern the Zen oriented\u201cgenki\u201d:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Genki da ne! <\/strong>\u5143\u6c17\u3060\u306d! (You seem happy!) <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n From the above Japanese examples, \u201cgenki\u201d seems to concern one\u2019s well-being in terms of Zen, happiness, good health and\/or (having) energy. When you look up \u201cgenki\u201d in a Japanese dictionary, there are basically three definitions:<\/p>\n 1. Noun \u2013 The life force that fuels your mental and physical activities That\u2019s right, the flow of energy between heaven and earth. Sounds very ying-yang doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n The make of \u201cgenki\u201d in kanji includes the words \u201cgen\u201d (\u5143), which means root, source, or original, and \u201cki\u201d (\u6c17), meaning air, breath or wind. So \u201cgenki\u201d refers to the original state of living (i.e. breathing) \u2013 which is a very traditional Chinese idea of \u201cqi\u201d (\u6c23) that can be traced back to the times of Confucius.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And you may wonder if the \u201cqi\u201d here is the same qi in qigong (\u6c23\u529f) \u2013 the famous Chinese exercise that involves steadying breathing and movements to promote inner calmness \u2013 the answer is yes, it is the same \u201clife force\u201d concept in qigong, as well as in the Japanese martial art of aikido (\u5408\u6c17\u9053).<\/p>\n Qi or ki, depends whether you are using Japanese or Chinese, is considered the very foundation of living things especially in East Asian cultures. One\u2019s well-being is greatly reliant of whether his\/her inner flow of energy is balanced or not. An imbalanced inner self will pose negative impacts on the person\u2019s health and mind, and vice versa.<\/p>\n Therefore, by asking \u201cO genki desu ka?\u201d you are addressing if your opponent\u2019s inner Zen is at its original state \u2013 or if his\/her internal stream of life force is balanced and flowing undisturbed. You didn\u2019t expect a \u201chow are you\u201d this deep from genki, right?<\/p>\n May your mind be freed and at peace. Genki de ne!<\/p>\nUse ‘ Genki ‘ in Japanese \u00a0for Dairy Conversations!<\/h2>\n
\nGenki nai ne <\/strong>\u5143\u6c17\u306a\u3044\u306d (You don\u2019t seem well)
\nGenki wo dashite! <\/strong>\u5143\u6c17\u3092\u51fa\u3057\u3066! (Cheer up!)
\nGenki de ne! <\/strong>\u5143\u6c17\u3067\u306d! (Be well \/ take care)<\/p>\nGenki in Japanese – Meanings<\/h2>\n
\n2. Adjective \u2013 Healthy, physically fit
\n3. Noun \u2013 The flow of energy between heaven and earth that vitalizes all living creatures<\/p>\nWhat does ‘qi ‘ come from?<\/h2>\n
\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n