What does " How are you?" mean?

Hi, guys!!

OMG!! I have not update since last month!!

I experienced many things last week, but if I write all of them it'll be too long and boring, so I gonna select 1 thing!!

It is about one interesting discussion in my class. Can u guess what we discuss?? hehe

As you can read in title, we talked about what " how are you?" is real meaning.

In this case, which person should say first?? Man?? Woman?? I think man should do first. haha

Have you ever been asked " How are you?" by stranger, especially American?

It really do happens in America, because I experienced!!

And, It was my first surprise because Japanese people, we don't speak to strangers without constraint. But, in America, people speak to me with saying " How are you?".

During waiting a bus, in campus, in cafeteria, in airport....... It happens everywhere!!

Although I was scared at first, I became to like their asking " how are you?" culture.

But!! " How are you?", " How are you doing?",and "How's it going?" , those questions can easier to respond for me, because all I need to say just " Good!".

" What's up?" was really tricky, because I did not know how to answer.....

When I went to shopping mall with my friend and we met a really handsome American boy who is in our same class. And then, he said " What's up?" to me.......

I really did not have any idea to respond, so I just smiled to him...... So sad!!

I really really regaled not to know the answer phrase, because it was good chance to talk with handsome American guy!! haha

I think " How are you?" is the good and convenient phrase to start talking with strangers.

Comparing with Japanese, I think there is no phrase as " How are you?".

Maybe "元気ですか？" has the same meaning, but it is not casual.

English is sometime useful, but sometime really difficult.