うちの息子
uchi no musuko
The English phrase "my boy" is translated into Japanese as うちの息子 (uchi no musuko).
A parent uses うちの息子 when talking about their own son to someone outside of their family.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of uchi no (my/our/our household's) and musuko (son).
Which one should you use?
While musuko alone means son, adding uchi no makes it clear to the listener in a social context that you are referring to your own son.
How do you pronounce it?
uchi no musuko
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, it is common to refer to うちの息子 with a self-deprecating tone when speaking to others, even if the parent is actually proud of the son's achievements.
- In Japanese, the 'my' in 'my boy' is actually the word うち, which literally translates to 'house' or 'home'.
- When writing a formal letter, the word for 'son' might change to 令息 (reisoku) to refer to someone else's son, but you would never use such a lofty term for your own.
Examples in context
- うちの息子はまだちゃんと足し算ができない。My boy can't do addition properly yet.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe a son's current abilities using うちの息子.Tatoeba #228182 by bunbuku, translation #65536 by CK
- わたしの息子はすばらしいです。My boy is wonderful.
- うちの息子は、とても優しい性格です。Uchi no musuko wa, totemo yasashii seikaku desu.My boy has a very kind personality.
Example conversation
Misaki is talking to her son Hiroto about his grades.
- 美咲 Misakiうちの息子は、本当に勉強が嫌いね。uchi no musuko wa, hontou ni benkyou ga kirai ne.My boy really hates studying, doesn't he?
- 大翔 Hirotoそんなことないよ。頑張ってるもん。sonna koto nai yo. ganbatteru mon.That's not true. I'm working hard.
- 美咲 Misakiでも、テストの結果はひどかったわよ。demo, tesuto no kekka wa hidokatta wa yo.But your test results were terrible.
- 大翔 Hiroto次はもっといい点数を取るよ。tsugi wa motto ii tensuu o toru yo.I'll get a better score next time.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
