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おやじ (oyaji) Japanese meaning: one's father | Kotomora
じ 字
Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. one's father; dad; old man 2. middle-aged man; old guy; geezer 3. boss; chief 4. proprietor; landlord; owner 5. grizzly bear Report an issue with this page
My old man used to be a fisherman.
I borrowed the car from my dad.
Usage patterns 親父おやじ に 叱しか られる to get scolded by one's father
I got scolded by my dad for not doing my homework.
〈 場所ばしょ〉 〉 の 親父おやじ the (male) owner of a place, like a shop or bar
The owner of that shop is always cheerful.
親父おやじ に 怒鳴どな られる to get yelled at by one's boss
I was late and got yelled at by my boss.
親父おやじ の 後あと を 継つ ぐ to take over one's father's business or trade
He took over his father's business and became a carpenter.
Kanji 親 parent, intimacy, relative 仁 humanity, virtue, benevolence Related words 親方 is a respectful term for a master craftsman or boss in traditional trades, while 親父 used for 'boss' is slangy and carries a less respectful, more irreverent tone.
大将 is a friendly, slightly flattering way to address a shop owner or boss directly, while 親父 used for 'proprietor' is rougher and more familiar, often used by regulars behind his back or to his face.
おやじ is a rougher, more masculine slang term for one's father, often used by adult men, unlike the childlike パパ.
Opposites 母 refers to one's mother, the opposite-gender parent to the father meant by 親父.
お袋 is the casual male term for one's mother, while 親父 is its counterpart for one's father, matching in register and gender of speaker.
Politeness 父 is the neutral, formal word for one's father used in polite or written contexts, while 親父 is the rough, familiar term mainly used by men in casual speech.
お父さん is the polite, everyday word for father usable by anyone, whereas 親父 is a blunter, more masculine term often carrying a rough or affectionate edge.
Don't confuse with 親分 specifically means a gang leader or crime boss, whereas 親父 used for 'boss' just means an ordinary workplace superior, addressed informally.
親父 casually means 'my dad' (or an old man) and shares the kanji 親, but 親御 is a respectful term for someone else's parents, not one's own father.
Word family sly old man; cunning old fox
snarling old man; irascible old man
stubborn old man; pig-headed father
dad joke; corny joke; bad pun
Written forms おやじ Usage 23%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 親父, 親爺, and 親仁 are rare or literary.
親おや 父じ Usage 47%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kanji form; can be encountered in literature or formal contexts, but kana is preferred.
オヤジ Usage 24%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used in casual or emphatic contexts, such as manga or informal writing.
Etymology Probably developed by sound change from おやちち, a compound of 親（おや）, “parent,” and 父（ちち）, “father.” The historical spelling おやぢ reflects the voiced second element.
middle-aged band; dad band
rarely-used kanji form gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
親おや 仁じ Usage <1%
rarely-used kanji form gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
