(けんざい)

けんざい
na-adjective
alive and well, going strong
existencedescriptive
1. alive and well, in good health
Describes a person who is alive and in good health, especially when there might be reason to worry about them due to age or circumstances.
祖父(そふ)九十歳(きゅうじゅっさい)健在(けんざい)だ。
My grandfather is alive and well at ninety.
両親(りょうしん)健在(けんざい)です
Are your parents in good health?
Even eighty years after the war, there are still people alive who can speak of their memories from that time.
2. going strong, still active
Used figuratively for things, organizations, or traditions that continue to thrive or function well.
あの老舗(しにせ)まだ健在(けんざい)だ。
That long-established shop is still going strong.
I'm glad that traditional performing arts are still thriving.
The athlete has retired, but their popularity is still going strong.

A na-adjective that functions primarily as a predicate (〜健在(けんざい)だ). Rarely used as a noun modifier with な. Often used when reporting on the well-being of elderly people or the continued vitality of something that might be expected to have declined.

Common patterns

  • まだ健在(けんざい)だ (is still alive and well / still going strong)
  • 健在(けんざい)です (Are you in good health? — polite)