I learnt that how are you is “genki” or “o genki des ka”, but there is no
anata, so how do you know that that’s not “Am I well?”. In other words how do
you distinguish 1., 2., and 3. person when no pronoun is written?
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2019-10-19T21:09:06.173
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2019-10-19T21:43:10.737
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question
grammar words expressions word-usage
Can “genki desu ka” also mean “Am I well?”
As with many things in Japanese (informal language in particular), this is
based on context. If you meet someone for the first time in a while, it would
make sense to ask them if they are well, rather than asking them if they think
_you_ look well.

  * Pronouns are often dropped when it is obvious who is being refereed to.
  * Unlike many other languages there is no grammatical requirement to include the subject in a sentence.
  * You may also choose to omit pronouns if you are unsure which ones are appropriate to address yourself or others, especially as a beginner of Japanese.

In British English, the greeting 'Are you alright?' can be shortened to
'Alright?' and most people can understand from context without specifying a
pronoun.
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2019-10-19T21:36:52.607
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2019-10-19T21:43:10.737
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answer