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両親 (りょうしん, ryoushin) Japanese meaning: parents | Kotomora

両りょう親しん

りょ

う

し

ん

Common word›JLPTN5›Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

parents; both parents

Refers to one's own or someone else's father and mother together. Neutral and widely used.

両りょう親しんは旅りょ行こうに行いっています。

My parents are away on a trip.

彼かれの両りょう親しんはとても親しん切せつです。

His parents are very kind.

Usage patterns

両りょう親しんに相そう談だんするto consult one's parents (about something)
進しん路ろについて両りょう親しんに相そう談だんした。
I talked with my parents about my future career path.
両りょう親しんを養やしなうto support one's parents financially
彼かれは働はたらいて両りょう親しんを養やしなっている。
He works to support his parents.
両りょう親しんと暮くらすto live with one's parents
大だい学がく生せいの間あいだは両りょう親しんと暮くらしていた。
I lived with my parents while I was in college.
両りょう親しんに育そだてられるto be raised by one's parents
彼かの女じょは厳きびしい両りょう親しんに育そだてられた。
She was raised by strict parents.

Kanji

両both, old Japanese coin, counter for carriages (e.g., in a train)
親parent, intimacy, relative

Related words

親おやN4
親 can mean just one parent or both, while 両親 always means both the father and mother together.
父ふ母ぼN2
父母 is a stiffer, written/formal way to say 'father and mother', whereas 両親 is the everyday word used in speech.
親おや御ご
両親 is the neutral word for 'parents' usable for one's own or others', whereas 親御 is honorific and reserved for someone else's parents.
父ふ兄けいN1
両親 specifically means one's own two biological parents, whereas 父兄 in school contexts can include any guardian, not just biological parents.

Politeness

ご両りょう親しんhonorific 尊敬語
ご両親 adds the honorific ご- and is used when referring to someone else's parents, while 両親 is neutral and used for one's own parents.

Don't confuse with

良りょう心しんN1
良心 (conscience) and 両親 (parents) are pronounced identically as りょうしん but are completely unrelated in meaning.
祖そ父ふ母ぼN2
両親 means one's parents (mother and father), while 祖父母 means one's grandparents; learners sometimes mix up the generation.

Counted with

人にん
"Ryōshin" (parents) is typically counted as 2 nin, since it refers to a pair of people.

Word family

ご両りょう親しん
(someone else's) parents; both parents
実じつ両りょう親しん
biological parents
義ぎ両りょう親しん
parents-in-law

Written forms

両親Usage100%
- りょうしん
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common way to write 'parents'.
- ふたおや
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
ふたおや

Etymology

Compound of 両 (both) and 親 (parent). The reading ふたおや is a rare jukujikun reading, combining the native Japanese ふた (two) and おや (parent).

gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun