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So I've been wondering around, thinking about if it would be wrong to use the character か after the shortened phrase 元気。That is 元気 as in [ お元気ですか？]. Would it still mean the same if you did it like this [元気か] or would that be grammatically incorrect? The point is to make certain to the person talking to that it is a question and that you are not just saying "fine".

NiQoPiQo
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    Is it grammatical? Yes. Is it appropriate? That's another question... Depends on who you're speaking to. You probably don't want to "mouth off" this way to someone you should respect ;) – psosuna Feb 22 '18 at 23:57
  • I would think of か used this way as similar to finishing a question with “huh?” or “or what?” In English, if that helps you understand the tone. – mamster Feb 23 '18 at 00:31

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"元気か?" is grammatical, but it tends to sound fairly blunt and/or haughty. In fiction, an old man, a stereotyped strict father or a yakuza boss may say this. Usually "元気?" with a rising intonation is used in friendly and casual conversations.

If such a question is not directly cast to a person, "noun/na-adj + か" may be more acceptable. People often say "マジか?" or "アホか?" when they saw something unbelievable, although these still sound a little rough.

naruto
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