お父さん – We need to talk about dad in Japanese
There are several ways to say dad in Japanese. When you are talking with family about your father you will use a different word from when you talk about your father to people outside of your family. You will also use different words when talking about other people’s fathers from your own father. In formal situations, your family is seen as an extension to you. So you would talk humbly about your own family. when talking to others.
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Talking to about other’s Father
In Japan, it is polite to talk humbly about your own family members and respectfully about other’s family. When talking about your own father use 父 and when talking about someone else’s use お父さん.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/Talking about your Own Father
おとうさん
When talking with him or about him with other family members it is normal to say おとうさん. If you want to use a more intimate word you can say とうさん or even とうちゃん. Children may call their dad おとうさんwhen talking with other children or adults.
パパ
This is the same as the English word and is used in the same situations. Kids may call their father パパ or others when talking to kids may refer to their father as パパ.
父
As stated already, use this when talking to people outside of your family about your dad.
父上
父上 is very respectful and used when talking with your own father or with family. It is not commonly used in real life though but rather in dramas, manga or other fiction. If you want to use it with your family though, you can even say 父上様 to show even more respect.
おやじ
This is an even more relaxed way of referring to your father and translates close to calling your father old man in English. Be careful with it though since the word おやじ is also used to refer to middle-aged men in a derogatory way. If you are in an informal conversation it should usually be ok. So at least don’t use it in formal situations.
If you want to learn more Japanese Vocabulary I have more posts here. Or, if you are interested in learning even more, I have reviewed what I consider the best resource for Japanese Grammar below:
