お爺さん
ojiisan[o̞ʑiːsã̠ɴ]
In Japanese, the English phrase "grandfather" can be translated as お爺さん (ojiisan), 祖父 or 外祖父.
Meaning: grandfather (from either side) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| お爺さん | ojiisan | [o̞ʑiːsã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| 祖父 | sofu | [so̞ɸɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 外祖父 | gaisofu |
The term for grandfather in Japanese depends on whether you are talking about your own grandfather, someone else's grandfather or specifically a maternal grandfather. While 祖父 generally refers to a grandfather from either side, 外祖父 is used specifically for a maternal grandfather.
Which one should you use?
お爺さん is a polite way to address an elderly man or to refer to someone else's grandfather. In contrast, 祖父 is used when speaking about your own grandfather to others. While 祖父 can refer to a grandfather from either side, 外祖父 is used specifically to mean maternal grandfather.
How do you pronounce it?
ojiisan
Did you know?
- Because the spoken words for 'grandfather' おじいさん and 'uncle' おじさん differ only by the length of the vowel, a short pause can accidentally change the relative being discussed.
- While 外祖父 specifically means maternal grandfather, the character 外 (outside) is used because the mother's side was traditionally considered 'outside' the direct patrilineal family line.
- In some regions of Japan, children may use the word じじい to refer to their grandfather, but this is considered extremely rude and insulting in most contexts.
Examples in context
- 彼は祖父似だ。He resembles his grandfather.This sentence shows how to use 祖父 to describe physical resemblance.Tatoeba #102897 by bunbuku, translation #300797 by CK
- 私の祖父です。This is my grandfather.This sentence shows how to use 祖父 to introduce your grandfather.Tatoeba #10763900 by small_snow, translation #1898106 by CK
- 祖父は大阪の出身です。My grandfather comes from Osaka.This sentence shows how to use 祖父 to state where a grandfather is from.Tatoeba #140692 by bunbuku, translation #273881 by CN
- 78 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are looking at a photo album together.
- 結衣 Yuiこのお爺さんは誰ですか？Kono ojiisan wa dare desu ka?Who is this grandfather?
- 健太 Kenta僕のお爺さんです。Boku no ojiisan desu.He is my grandfather.
- 結衣 Yuiとても優しそうな方ですね。Totemo yasashisou na kata desu ne.He looks like a very kind person.
- 健太 Kentaはい、とても優しいんです。Hai, totemo yasashii n desu.Yes, he is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandfather” translations and entries お爺さん, 祖父, 外祖父, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
