Как жизнь?

Yes, it works as a complete, natural sentence in Russian.

Russian often leaves out the present-tense verb to be. So a learner may expect something like Как есть жизнь?, but that would be wrong. In modern Russian, the present-tense is/are is normally not spoken.

So Как жизнь? is understood as something like:

• How is life?
• How’s life going?

It is short, natural, and idiomatic.

Как means how, and in expressions like this it asks about someone’s condition, situation, or general state.

This pattern is very common in Russian:

• Как дела? — How are things?
• Как работа? — How’s work?
• Как учёба? — How are your studies?
• Как жизнь? — How’s life?

So как is the normal word to use when asking how something is going.

Because жизнь is the thing being talked about — essentially the subject of the sentence.

In a sentence like Как жизнь?, Russian treats life as the thing whose state you are asking about. That is why it appears in the basic dictionary form, the nominative:

• жизнь = life

You are not saying something like about life or with life, so no other case is needed.

It is mostly informal and conversational.

You would typically use it with:

• friends
• classmates
• coworkers you know well
• family
• people in a relaxed setting

It can sound a little too casual for:

• very formal situations
• strangers in a stiff context
• someone you need to address very politely

In formal situations, Как дела? is still not especially formal, but it is more neutral and more common than Как жизнь?

They are close, but not exactly identical.

• Как дела? is the most common, neutral How are things?
• Как жизнь? feels a bit more expressive, broad, or personal — more like How’s life?

So:

• Как дела? = everyday standard small talk
• Как жизнь? = slightly more colorful, sometimes warmer or more playful

A native speaker might choose Как жизнь? when they want to sound a bit less routine.

Not with absolutely everyone.

It is best with people you already have some familiarity with. If you say it to a close friend, it sounds natural. If you say it to a professor, boss, or a stranger in a formal setting, it may sound too casual.

A good rule:

• with friends: yes
• with acquaintances in a relaxed setting: usually yes
• in formal/professional situations: use something more neutral

Context matters a lot.

Usually, that sounds less natural than Как жизнь?

Russian normally does not need твоя here. The short fixed expression is simply:

• Как жизнь?

Adding твоя can sound overly literal, as if you are emphasizing your life specifically. It might work in a special context, for example if you are contrasting one person’s life with someone else’s, or talking about a particular period:

• Как твоя новая жизнь в Москве? — How’s your new life in Moscow?

But as a normal greeting, just use Как жизнь?

Often with short, casual replies, just like in English.

Common answers include:

• Хорошо. — Good.
• Нормально. — Fine.
• Неплохо. — Not bad.
• Отлично. — Great.
• Потихоньку. — roughly So-so / Little by little / Getting by
• Да ничего. — roughly Not bad / I’m okay

Very often, the speaker then asks back:

• А у тебя? — And you?
• А как у тебя? — And how about you?

Also, like English How’s life?, this can be just small talk. It does not always invite a deep answer.

A simple learner-friendly guide is:

• Как ≈ kahk
• жизнь ≈ zheeznʹ

So the whole phrase is roughly:

• kahk ZHEEZNʹ?

A few helpful points:

• The stress is on жизнь.
• The final нь is soft.
• The ж sound is like the s in measure.

A common transliteration is:

• Kak zhizn'?

No. Very often it is just a friendly greeting or small-talk question.

Depending on tone and context, it can mean:

• a light How’s it going?
• a broader How’s life treating you?
• a genuinely interested question about how things are going overall

So the phrase can be casual and routine, or more sincere and personal. Tone of voice and the relationship between speakers make the difference.