8 ways to ask how someone is in Korean (and when each one fits)
Textbooks teach 어떻게 지내세요? as "how are you?" and learners then wonder why nobody says it. The reason is that Korean has no small-talk "how are you?" exchanged every time you meet. 안녕하세요 already covers it, and the real questions below are chosen by how long it has been and how close you are.
All eight use polite 요 speech, which is the right level for anyone you are not already casual with. The last one adds an honorific for elders and superiors.
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잘 지냈어요?
jal jinaesseoyo?
How have you been?
Literally: Did (you) spend (the time) well?
Past tense, so it covers the gap since you last met. For someone you saw yesterday it sounds odd; for someone you have not seen in a few weeks it is exactly right.
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잘 지내요?
jal jinaeyo?
Are you doing well?
Literally: Spending (time) well?
Present tense, for someone you keep in touch with but have not seen in a while. This is the one that opens a text to an old friend.
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밥 먹었어요?
bap meogeosseoyo?
Have you eaten?
Literally: Did you eat rice?
The everyday 'how are you', said to people you see all the time. The expected answer is 네, 먹었어요 or 아직요 (not yet); nobody is actually asking about your lunch.
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별일 없어요?
byeollil eopseoyo?
Everything okay? Anything new?
Literally: No special matter?
For someone you see regularly. The customary reply is 네, 별일 없어요, which is as close as Korean gets to 'fine, thanks'.
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요즘 어떻게 지내요?
yojeum eotteoke jinaeyo?
How are you these days?
Literally: These days how spending?
Unlike the two above, this one invites a real answer. Ask it when you have time to hear about the new job or the breakup.
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오늘 어땠어요?
oneul eottaesseoyo?
How was your day?
Literally: Today how was?
An evening question, and a close one: partners, family, a flatmate. Sent by message it reads as caring, which is why it shows up early in relationships.
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잘 잤어요?
jal jasseoyo?
Did you sleep well?
Literally: Slept well?
The morning greeting between people who are close. To an elder you would say 안녕히 주무셨어요?, which is the same question with honorifics.
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어떻게 지내셨어요?
eotteoke jinaesyeosseoyo?
How have you been?
Literally: How did (you) spend (the time)?
The -시- in 지내셨어요 makes it honorific, so this is for a teacher, a boss, a friend's parents. The casual version, for a close friend, is simply 잘 지냈어?
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Notice how many of these are yes-or-no questions with a ready-made answer. 밥 먹었어요? and 별일 없어요? are greetings dressed as questions, and treating them as real questions (a full account of your lunch, a list of your news) is the classic learner's misstep. Save the detail for 요즘 어떻게 지내요?, the one that actually asks.