The literal answer is:
Kedu ka ị mere — KEH-doo kah ee MEH-reh
Hear it and see it in context on IgboLearn →
Word-for-word: how have you done?
Not “how are you” in the present tense. Igbo asks how you have been — how have things gone for you up to this moment. The question is reaching backward, not pointing at right now.
That small shift carries an entire philosophy. English asks about your current state. Igbo asks about your journey to this current state.
Igbo doesn’t ask how you are the way English does
In English, “how are you” is famously content-free. The expected answer is “good, you?” Nobody actually wants to know.
In Igbo, the question is more honest.
- The verb is past-tense. I mere — you have done / you have been. The question is about what happened to you, not how you feel in this moment.
- The honest answer is expected. Not “good, you?” Closer to a real summary: Ọ dị mma (it’s good), ọ na-aga (it’s going), or enwere m nsogbu (I have problems). Igbo conversation often opens with actual information.
- It pairs with eye contact and pause. Asking Kedu ka ị mere without waiting for an answer is hollow. The whole point is the answer.
- It’s a check-in, not a transition. English “how are you” is what you say to move into the rest of the conversation. Kedu ka ị mere IS the conversation, for a moment.
Diaspora kids tend to ask the Igbo version with English rhythm — fast, not waiting. The grandparent on the other end gives a real answer that the kid doesn’t know what to do with.
Variations to know
- Kedu — how is it? The short version, for everyday quick check-ins.
- Kedu ka ị mere — how have you been? Fuller, for someone you haven’t seen in a while.
- Kedu ka ọ dị — how are things? A general life check.
- Kedu ihe na-eme — what’s happening? More casual, peer-to-peer.
- Kedu ka ụbọchị gị mere — how did your day go? Evening check-in.
- Kedu maka ezinụlọ — how is the family? Asked after the personal greeting, especially with someone you haven’t seen in months.
And the answers, because the question without the answer is incomplete:
- Ọ dị mma — it is well.
- Ọ na-aga — it’s going. Often with a small shrug.
- Daalụ Chineke — thanks be to God. The standard religiously-tinged “I’m fine.”
When to say it
- Reuniting after time apart. Even a few weeks. Kedu ka ị mere — how have you been? — is the proper opener.
- Phone calls with relatives. Lead with this. The conversation about anything else comes after the answer.
- Visiting an elder. Sit down. Mama, kedu ka ị mere? Wait for the full answer. Don’t ask if you don’t have time to listen.
- Meeting an old friend. The English version would be “long time, how are you?” — Igbo nests both ideas into the single fuller phrase.
- As a follow-up to a hard event. Someone was sick, lost a relative, faced a problem. Kedu ka ị mere afterwards — how have you been? — is a way of asking without naming the thing directly.
Teaching it to your kids
This is the deeper greeting — the one beyond Kedu. Once your child has the short form, move them to the long form for use with grandparents and aunties.
Three minutes:
- Say Kedu ka ị mere — KEH-doo kah ee MEH-reh. Practice the rhythm; it has a natural lilt.
- Teach the answer too: Ọ dị mma. Then Daalụ, kedu maka gị? — thanks, and how about you? — to volley back.
- Tell them: it’s not “how are you.” It’s how have you been. Past tense. Wait for the answer.
That last instruction is the hardest part. Kids — and adults — want to move on after asking. The Igbo asks you to stay long enough to hear what comes back. Which, in practice, is the same thing as care.
Practice Kedu ka ị mere on IgboLearn →
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