お父さん
otōsan[o̞to̞ːsã̠ɴ]
The Japanese phrase for "your dad" is お父さん (otōsan).
お父さん is used to refer to someone else's father or to address one's own father with a respectful tone.
Which one should you use?
While お父さん is a common polite way to say "your dad," お父様 is a highly respectful version used in very formal settings or to show extreme deference. For comparison, ご父上 is also a more formal and honorific term often used in polite or ceremonial contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of western Honshu, including the Kansai area, people may use とうさん instead of お父さん.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, the possessive "your" is often omitted when the context makes it clear that you are talking about the listener's father.
How do you pronounce it?
otōsan
Did you know?
- The common way to say 'your dad', お父さん, was actually popularized by the Ministry of Education. It appeared in standardized textbooks during the early Meiji period to create a consistent way for children to speak.
- In Japanese, it is common to refer to your own father as お父さん when speaking to him, but you would use a different, humble word when talking about him to a stranger.
- The honorific prefix お in お父さん is used to show respect to the father, but it is removed when speaking about your own father to someone outside your social circle.
Examples in context
- お父さんにそっくりだね。You look just like your dad.This sentence is useful for showing how to use お父さん to say someone looks like their father.Tatoeba #2270679 by tommy_san, translation #6221936 by CK
- お父さんはお元気ですか？How is your dad?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's father using お父さん.Tatoeba #3523159 by tommy_san, translation #953331 by CK
- お父さんと比べないでよ。Don't compare me to your dad.This sentence is useful for using お父さん in a sentence about not being compared to someone's father.Tatoeba #10302007 by small_snow, translation #13479422 by CK
- ご父上がお元気でいらっしゃいますか？Is your father in good health?
- とうさんは今、忙しいかい？Is your dad busy right now?
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are talking about Himari's family.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵のお父さんは、何をしている人なの？Himari no otousan wa, nani o shite iru hito nano?What does your dad do for a living, Himari?
- 陽葵 Himariお父さんは、エンジニアだよ。Otousan wa, enjinia da yo.My dad is an engineer.
- 健太 Kentaそうなんだ。かっこいいね！Sou nanda. Kakkoii ne!I see. That's cool!
- 陽葵 Himariありがとう。健太のお父さんも、優しいよね。Arigatou. Kenta no otousan mo, yasashii yo ne.Thanks. Your dad is very kind too, Kenta.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry お父さん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries お父さん, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
