Otousan is the Japanese word for ‘dad’, explained

What does “otousan” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “otousan” often to mean ‘dad’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “otousan” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “otousan”
• What does “otousan” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “dad” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “otousan”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “otousan”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “otousan”.

• otousan – お父さん (おとうさん) : a noun meaning ‘dad’ or ‘father’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Normally, this noun is used by a child to call his/her father. So, the usage is very similar to that of the English noun, “dad”, I think.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “otousan” literally mean in Japanese?

“Otousan” consists of the following three components:

• o – お : a prefix making its following word polite.
• tou – 父 (とう) : a noun which can mean a ‘father’ in Japanese.
• san – さん : an honorific suffix often used after a name to make it sound polite.

These three components tell us that “otousan” is literally the polite expression for ‘father’ in Japanese. And actually, it is. In Japan, children call their fathers with showing their respect. It’s also worth mentioning here that this noun is not suitable for formal situations. Japanese people often try to be polite by lowering their positions. In formal situations, therefore, they often call their fathers in a less polite way: they do not want to respect their fathers more than the listeners in conversations.

When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “otousan” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “otousan” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “dad” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “otousan” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “otousan”. Again, but it is often used by a child to call his/her father. So, the usage is very similar to that of “dad” in English.

Example #2: another usage of “otousan”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• yori – より : a case particle working as a comparison marker. In the example, this works after “otousan” to provide the target of the comparison with “okaasan”. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of “than” in English.
• okaasan – お母さん (おかあさん) : a noun meaning ‘mom’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is another typical usage of “otousan”. In this example, it works as a plural to mean ‘dads’ in Japanese. When we want to mean a ‘dad’ or ‘dads’ in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “otousan” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• otousan – お父さん (おとうさん) : a noun meaning ‘dad’ or ‘father’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Normally, this noun is used by a child to call his/her father. So, the usage is very similar to that of the English noun, “dad”, I think. Grammatically, this is the polite expression for ‘father’ in Japanese. And actually, it is. In Japan, children call their fathers with showing their respect. It’s also worth mentioning here that this noun is not suitable for formal situations. Japanese people often try to be polite by lowering their positions. In formal situations, therefore, they often call their fathers in a less polite way: they do not want to respect their fathers more than the listeners in conversations.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.