How to say “Are you alright?” in Japanese?
qa-icon-00

A Japanese lady sitting next to me on the plane seemed to be feeling unwell. How do I say “Are you alright?” in Japanese?

Answer by Japanese teacher

woman-answer

(1) 大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)ですか。
Daijoobu desu ka.
Are you alright, OK?


Explanation

There are a few ways of saying “alright” in Japanese. When asking if someone feels alright, you can say daijoobu desu ka. Daijoobu means alright and adding ka at the end of the sentence turns it into a question. If you are being asked whether you are feeling alright, you can reply daijoobu desu.

Another way of saying “alright” is kekkoo desu. However, this is often used in a reply instead of a question. If you are being asked whether you would like a second helping of food or beer, you can reply kekoo desu to decline the offer. It means “I’m alright” or “No thanks”.