お父さん、おはよう
otōsan, ohayō
The English phrase "good morning dad" is translated into Japanese as お父さん、おはよう (otōsan, ohayō).
This phrase is used to say hello to one's father in the morning. The term お父さん functions as a way to address one's father directly.
Which one should you use?
While お父さん、おはよう is a standard way to greet a father, you can add ございます to the end of おはよう to create お父さん、おはようございます, which makes the greeting much more formal and polite.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase お父さん、おはよう is an informal way to greet a father, which is suitable for a close family relationship. For a very formal term for Dad, one might use Otousama. Additionally, children or very young people may use パパ、おはよう to say "Good morning, Papa".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, the title お父さん is often used as a direct address to the person, rather than just a noun for "father".
How do you pronounce it?
otōsan, ohayō
Did you know?
- While お父さん is used to address a father, a Japanese person will switch to the humble word 父 when describing their own father to a stranger. Using お父さん in that context would sound inappropriately polite toward one's own family.
- In a professional Japanese workplace, you might say おはようございます to a colleague even if it is the afternoon or evening. It serves as the first greeting of the workday rather than a literal time-of-day marker.
- The greeting おはよう is derived from the adjective 早い, which means 'early'. Instead of wishing someone a 'good' morning, the speaker is essentially remarking that it is 'early'.
Examples in context
- お父さん、おはよう！元気？Otousan, ohayou! Genki?Good morning, Dad! How are you?
- お父さん、おはよう。朝ごはんできてるよ。Otousan, ohayou. Asagohan dekiteru yo.Good morning, Dad. Breakfast is ready.
Example conversation
A daughter greets her father in the kitchen.
- 結衣 Yuiお父さん、おはよう。Otōsan, ohayō.Good morning, Dad.
- 大翔 Hirotoおはよう。よく眠れたか？Ohayō. Yoku nemureta ka?Morning. Did you sleep well?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、ぐっすり眠れたよ。Un, gussuri nemureta yo.Yeah, I slept soundly.
- 大翔 Hirotoそれはよかったな。Sore wa yokatta na.That's good to hear.
