1.
father (highly polite term)
Very polite honorific term for someone else's father, or a formal address used by a child to their own father in upper-class or traditional families. More formal than お父さん.
Highly polite term formed with the honorific prefix お and the honorific suffix 様. Used primarily when referring respectfully to the listener's or a third party's father; rare in casual speech.
POLITENESS HIERARCHY (from casual to formal):
- 父: my father — humble; for one's own father when talking to outsiders
- パパ / お父ちゃん: dad / papa — casual, often childlike
- お父さん: father — standard polite
- お父様: father — very polite/formal, often for someone else's father
Common collocations
- お父様にお伝えください: please tell your father
- お父様のお仕事: your father's work
- ご両親様・お父様・お母様: standard formal trio in letters and invitations
Similar words
- お母様: mother (very polite) — parallel form
- ご尊父: your honorable father — used in formal letters and condolences