1.
father (polite/formal)
A polite way to refer to someone's father, including one's own when speaking to others.
お父さん、ただいま。
Dad, I'm home.
お父さんは会社員です。
My father is a company employee.
お父さんに聞いてみます。
I'll ask my father.
お父さん is the standard polite term for "father," used both as a form of address and as a reference term.
USAGE:
- Addressing one's own father directly: お父さん、おはよう。
- Referring to someone else's father: お父さんはお元気ですか。
- Used by children and adults alike in everyday conversation.
FORMALITY LEVELS:
- お父さん: standard polite (most common)
- 父: humble form (used when referring to one's own father in formal situations)
- お父さま: very formal/respectful
- パパ: casual, used by young children or in informal settings
- おやじ: colloquial, typically used by adult men (can sound rough)
NOTE:
In formal speech and writing, use 父 for one's own father and お父さん for someone else's father. This inside/outside (内/外) distinction is important in Japanese.