元気 vs 健康
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
元気 is about spirits and energy right now — lively, cheerful, feeling good. 健康 is medical health, the condition of your body over time. お元気ですか is a greeting like "how are you?", not a question about your medical condition.
When to use each
元気
げんき
Use 元気 for energy and good spirits: an energetic child, feeling better after being down, greeting someone. 元気になる means you have perked up or recovered.
元気な子供ですね。
げんきなこどもですね。
What an energetic child.
お元気ですか。
おげんきですか。
How are you?
健康
けんこう
Use 健康 for health as a bodily condition — check-ups, diet, a doctor's judgement. It is a noun as well as a な-adjective, so 健康のために and 健康にいい are very common.
健康のために野菜を食べます。
けんこうのためにやさいをたべます。
I eat vegetables for my health.
祖父はとても健康です。
そふはとてもけんこうです。
My grandfather is very healthy.
Sentences where only one works
お元気ですか。
おげんきですか。
How are you?
A greeting. お健康ですか is not Japanese — you would be asking after someone's medical record.
たばこは健康に悪いです。
たばこはけんこうにわるいです。
Smoking is bad for your health.
A claim about the body over time, so 健康. 元気に悪い is not said.
病気が治って、また元気になりました。
びょうきがなおって、またげんきになりました。
I got over my illness and I'm feeling myself again.
元気になる is about getting your spirits and energy back.
毎年、健康診断を受けます。
まいとし、けんこうしんだんをうけます。
I have a health check-up every year.
A fixed medical compound — 元気診断 does not exist.
Common mistakes
お健康ですか。
お元気ですか。
The greeting is fixed with 元気. Asking 健康 sounds like you suspect they are ill.
野菜は元気にいいです。
野菜は健康にいいです。
"Good for your health" is 健康にいい. 元気 is a state you are in, not something food is good for.
元気な食事をしています。
健康的な食事をしています。
A healthy diet is 健康的な食事. 元気 cannot describe food.
Frequently asked questions
If someone asks お元気ですか, am I lying if I'm on medication?
No. The question is about how you are doing, not your medical state. はい、元気です is the normal answer even for someone with a long-term condition.
Can 元気 and 健康 both describe a person?
Yes, but differently. 元気なおじいさん is a sprightly grandpa; 健康なおじいさん is one whose test results are fine. Often both are true.
Which do I use to say I recovered from a cold?
元気になりました. 健康になりました sounds like you fundamentally changed your constitution.