おやじ

Used for the owner or manager of a small business, especially a restaurant, bar, or shop. Familiar and somewhat rough; often used by regular customers.

この店みせのおやじは気き前まえがいいんだ。
The owner of this shop is generous.
ラーメン屋やのおやじに大おお盛もりにしてもらった。
The ramen shop owner gave me an extra-large portion.

noun

grizzly bear

usually written using kana alone

Hokkaido dialect term for a grizzly bear, used by hunters or locals. Not standard Japanese.

北ほっ海かい道どうでは、ヒグマのことを「おやじ」と呼よぶことがある。
In Hokkaido, the brown bear is sometimes called 'oyaji'.

See all 47 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

親父おやじに叱しかられるto get scolded by one's father
宿しゅく題だいをしなかったら親おや父じに叱しかられた。
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
あの店みせの親おや父じはいつも元げん気きだ。
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
遅ち刻こくして親おや父じに怒ど鳴なられた。
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
彼かれは親おや父じの後あとを継ついで大だい工くになった。
He took over his father's business and became a carpenter.

Expressions

地じ震しん雷かみなり火か事じ親おや父じthings to fear: earthquakes, thunder, fires, and fathers

Kanji

親parent, intimacy, relative
父father
爺old man, grampa
仁humanity, virtue, benevolence

Related words

親おや方かた sense 3
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.
大たい将しょう sense 4
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.
パパN1
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

母ははN5sense 1
母 refers to one's mother, the opposite-gender parent to the father meant by 親父.
お袋ふくろN1
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

父ちちpolite 丁寧語N5sense 1
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.
お父とうさんpolite 丁寧語N5sense 1
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

親おや分ぶん sense 3
親分 specifically means a gang leader or crime boss, whereas 親父 used for 'boss' just means an ordinary workplace superior, addressed informally.
親おや御ご
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.

Counted with

人にん
Used when counting people in a general sense, but for counting fathers specifically, native speakers usually avoid counters and use other expressions.

Word family

狸たぬき親おや父じ
sly old man; cunning old fox
雷かみなり親おや父じ
snarling old man; irascible old man
頑がん固こ親おや父じ
stubborn old man; pig-headed father
オヤジギャグ
dad joke; corny joke; bad pun
オヤジバンド
middle-aged band; dad band

Written forms

おやじUsage23%
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Usage47%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kanji form; can be encountered in literature or formal contexts, but kana is preferred.
オヤジUsage24%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used in casual or emphatic contexts, such as manga or informal writing.
親爺おやじUsage5%
rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
親おや仁じUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

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.