お父さん、お母さん、愛してる
otousan, okaasan, aishiteru
The English phrase "I love you, mom and dad" is expressed in Japanese as お父さん、お母さん、愛してる (otousan, okaasan, aishiteru).
This phrase is used to express deep affection toward one's parents.
What does it mean word for word?
The term for mother, お母さん (okaasan), uses the honorific prefix お to show respect.
Which one should you use?
While お父さん、お母さん、愛してる is the standard form, you can use different variations depending on the level of politeness or the specific feeling you want to convey. For example, お母さん、お父さん、大好きです is a formal way to say "Mom, Dad, I really like you," whereas お母さん、お父さん、好きだよ is a casual and direct way to say "Mom, Dad, I like you."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, おとん is sometimes used instead of お父さん.
How do you pronounce it?
otousan, okaasan, aishiteru
When do people say it?
The phrase 愛してる (aishiteru) is considered very heavy and serious. It is used much less frequently in Japanese than "I love you" is used in English.
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese households, a child might refer to their own parents as 父 (chichi) and 母 (haha) when speaking to others, but switch to お父さん and お母さん when addressing them directly.
- In Japan, love is often shown through actions and care rather than verbal declarations. Instead of a verbal 'I love you', a child might express their devotion by saying いつもありがとう (itsumo arigatou), which means 'Thank you for everything always'.
- Depending on the family's social standing or era, some may use the more formal お父様 (otou-sama) and お母様 (okaa-sama) to show a higher level of reverence.
Examples in context
- お母さん、お父さん、愛しています。いつもありがとう。Mom, Dad, I love you. Thank you for everything.
- お父さん、お母さん、愛してる。Otousan, okaasan, aishiteru.I love you, mom and dad.
- ずっと、お父さん、お母さん、愛してる。Zutto, otousan, okaasan, aishiteru.I will love you, mom and dad, forever.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are writing a card for their parents' anniversary.
- 美咲 Misakiどんなメッセージを書こうか？Donna messeeji o kakou ka?What kind of message should we write?
- 蓮 Ren「お父さん、お母さん、愛してる」はどうかな？Otousan, okaasan, aishiteru wa dou kana?How about "I love you, mom and dad"?
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くん、それはとても素敵ね。Ren-kun, sore wa totemo suteki ne.Ren, that is very lovely.
- 蓮 Renきっと喜んでくれると思うよ。Kitto yorokonde kureru to omou yo.I think they will surely be happy.
