What is お in お元気ですか?


Sorry if this is a very basic question, but I'm trying to understand
everything in my first lesson (online, Rocket Japanese). I don't understand
what the purpose of **お** is in the phrase お元気ですか, which is explained as how I
ask someone how they are. I believe 元気 refers to well-being or health, です is
roughly the verb "to be," and か is added to turn the phrase into a question.
But nowhere is お explained. Is it actually required, and if so, what does it
add to the question? On the site it is translated to "how are you?"




お and ご, both represented by [the kanji 御](http://jisho.org/search/%E5%BE%A1),
are prefixes that increase the politeness of a word. They are often used when
referring to other people to put them on a higher level than yourself, which
is why you say 「お元気ですか」 to other people, but you say 「元気です」 about yourself.

Whether you use お or ご is dependent on the word, so ご元気 is not correct. お
usually goes with 訓読{くんよ}み readings and ご with 音読{おんよ}み readings.
([source](http://selftaughtjapanese.com/2014/03/21/japanese-honorific-
prefixes-%E3%81%8A-and-%E3%81%94-o-and-go/)) This rule is already broken by
the word 元気; fortunately the kanji 御 is rarely used, so you usually don't have
to guess which one it is when reading.

In addition, there are certain words that usually have お/ご on the front, such
as _alcohol_ (お酒{さけ}). Some words require it, or would change in meaning or
reading without it, like _sorry_ (御免{ごめん}), _rice/meal_ (ご飯{はん}), _stomach_
(お腹{なか}), and _money_ (お金{かね}).




お and ご, both represented by [the kanji 御](http://jisho.org/search/%E5%BE%A1),
are prefixes that increase the politeness of a word. They are often used when
referring to other people to put them on a higher level than yourself, which
is why you say 「お元気ですか」 to other people, but you say 「元気です」 about yourself.

Whether you use お or ご is dependent on the word, so ご元気 is not correct. お
usually goes with 訓読{くんよ}み readings and ご with 音読{おんよ}み readings.
([source](http://selftaughtjapanese.com/2014/03/21/japanese-honorific-
prefixes-%E3%81%8A-and-%E3%81%94-o-and-go/)) This rule is already broken by
the word 元気; fortunately the kanji 御 is rarely used, so you usually don't have
to guess which one it is when reading.

In addition, there are certain words that usually have お/ご on the front, such
as _alcohol_ (お酒{さけ}). Some words require it, or would change in meaning or
reading without it, like _sorry_ (御免{ごめん}), _rice/meal_ (ご飯{はん}), _stomach_
(お腹{なか}), and _money_ (お金{かね}).

