お父さん|おとうさんotousan[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. nounfather; dad; papa; pa; pop; daddy; dada
   お父とうさんは煙草たばこの煙けむりでたくさん輪りんを作つくれる。↗

   Dad can blow many smoke rings.
2. nounhusband
3. pronounyou (of an elderly person older than the speaker); he; him

• Synonym父ちちNeutralUsed when mentioning your own father to outsiders, as in 「父は会社員です」; natural in both speech and writing, but generally not for direct address.
• Synonym父親ちちおやNeutralRefers to a person in the role of father, leaning toward objective description as in 「父親として」; not used to address someone.
• Synonym父さんとうさんCasualMore casual than 「お父さん」; used mostly for direct address among family members.
• SynonymおやじWrittenRead 「しんぷ」, a stiff written Sino-Japanese word for father; almost never used in speech and not used as a form of address.
• Synonymお父様おとうさまFormalMore respectful than 「お父さん」; often used to address another person's father or in upper-class families.
• Synonym父上ちちうえFormalA solemn honorific, seen mostly in period dramas or old-fashioned families; rare in everyday use.
• Related親父しんぷWrittenRead 「しんぷ」, a stiff written Sino-Japanese word for father; almost never used in speech and not used as a form of address.
• Related男親おとこおやWrittenMeans a male parent, the counterpart of 「女親」; leans toward written, descriptive use.
• RelatedファーザーCasualA loanword not used in daily life; appears mostly in the religious term 「神父」 or in titles of works.
• Antonymお母さんおかあさんNeutralThe counterpart of 「お父さん」, meaning mother; the two are used in matching ways of address.

Call your own father 「お父さん」 by default; step up to 「お父様」 for extra respect, or use 「父さん」 for casual family address. When talking to outsiders say 「父」, and for objective description use 「父親」. 「父上」 is old-fashioned, 「親父」 (「しんぷ」) is stiff written prose, 「男親」 is a written term for a male parent, and 「ファーザー」 shows up mainly in 「神父」 or work titles. For mother, use 「お母さん」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 親したしみと敬意けいいを込こめて自分じぶんの父親ちちおやを呼よぶ語ごあるいは指さす語ご。
2. （1の意味いみから）義父ぎふを呼よぶ語ご。
3. （1の意味いみから）子供こども以外いがいの者ものが、子供こどもの居いる男性だんせいなどを呼よぶ語ご。
4. 主おもに花柳界かりゅうかいにおいて、置屋おきやの主人しゅじんを呼よぶ言葉ことば。