How to say "dad" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe affectionate 'daddy' or 'papa': what young children call their father and what parents use with them; adults also use it playfully for the family 'dad'.
- nounA rough, masculine 'my old man' or 'pops', typically used by men speaking of their own father in casual chat with friends; usually written in kana alone.
- noun, noun (prefix)Formed by adding the friendly さん to パパ. For the family sense of 'dad' this is seldom the word you want: some families say it, but パパ or お父さん is the usual choice.
- お父さんおとうさんnounThe respectful term for 'father; dad': address your own father with it, and it is also the natural way to refer to someone else's father in conversation.
- 父さんとうさんnounA plain way to address your own father, essentially お父さん without the honorific お; family members use it at home for 'dad' or 'pa'.
Use 「パパ」 for a child's affectionate 'daddy', 「おやじ」 for a casual masculine 'old man', 「お父さん」 or 「父さん」 to address your father (「お父さん」 also for other people's fathers), and treat 「パパさん」 as a marginal variant.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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