とうちゃん
tōchan
The Japanese word for 'pa' is とうちゃん (tōchan).
とうちゃん is an affectionate way to say 'father' or 'daddy'. It is most commonly used by young children when addressing their father or used within very casual family settings.
Meaning: father (noun)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
とうちゃん is an informal and affectionate term. While it is natural for children to use this, adults typically switch to more formal terms such as お父さん or 父 when speaking about their father to others.
How do you pronounce it?
tōchan
Did you know?
- If a woman refers to her own husband as とうちゃん in front of her children, she is often performing a specific social role of the 'nurturing mother'.
- The suffix ちゃん is actually a diminutive derived from the honorific さん, which evolved through baby talk to become the cute, affectionate form seen in とうちゃん.
- In many Japanese anime and manga, the use of とうちゃん is often a shorthand way to immediately establish that a character is a 'childlike' or 'innocent' personality type.
Examples in context
- とうちゃん、お仕事いってらっしゃい。tōchan, oshigoto itterasshai.Dad, have a good day at work.
- とうちゃん、これ買って！tōchan, kore katte!Dad, please buy this for me!
- とうちゃんは、今どこにいるの？tōchan wa, ima doko ni iru no?Where is Dad right now?
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are talking at home about their father.
- 美咲 Misakiとうちゃん、どこに行ったのかな？tōchan, doko ni itta no kana?I wonder where Dad went?
- 陽太 Yotaきっとすぐ帰ってくるよ。kitto sugu kaette kuru yo.I'm sure he'll be back soon.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太くんの言う通りだね。Yota-kun no iu tōri da ne.You're right, Yota.
- 陽太 Yotaお腹が空いたから、早く帰ってきてほしいな。onaka ga suita kara, hayaku kaette kite hoshii na.I'm hungry, so I want him to come home soon.
