息子・息|むすこmusuko[0]heiban (flat)
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- nounson
- nounpenis
- Synonym子息しそくFormalFormal term for another person's son, as in 「ご子息」; found in polite settings such as letters and formal speeches.
- SynonymせがれCasualColloquial and old-fashioned word for your own son, with a humble or rough tone, as in 「うちの倅」; more dated than 「息子」.
- Synonym令息れいそくFormalHonorific for someone else's son, as in 「ご令息」; weightier than 「息子さん」 and mostly used in writing.
- Synonym愚息ぐそくFormalFormal, self-deprecating way to refer to your own son, as in 「愚息がお世話になります」.
- Related坊ちゃんぼっちゃんCasualColloquial way to address someone else's boy; also a spoiled young master, as in 「坊ちゃん育ち」.
- Relatedお坊ちゃんおぼっちゃんCasualColloquial and politer than 「坊ちゃん」: an affectionate way to speak of another person's little boy, or a jab at a sheltered rich kid.
- Relatedご令息ごれいそくFormalFormal honorific with the prefix 「ご」 for another person's son, used mainly in written greetings.
- Related息子さんむすこさんNeutralThe everyday honorific for someone else's son, as in 「息子さんはお元気ですか」; the most commonly used of the set.
Use 「息子」 by default. For another person's son, 「息子さん」 is the everyday choice; 「子息」/「令息」 (often 「ご子息」/「ご令息」) are formal. Humbly refer to your own son with 「愚息」 or 「倅」, and call a boy or young master 「坊ちゃん」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


