クルミの日本語 exploring Japanese


Today was Father's Day, in both the United States and Japan: 六月ろくがつだい三の日曜日にちようび (third Sunday in June).

We noted several words for "father", appropriate for different situations, including:

  • ちち humble; mentioning your own father to others
  • とうさん honorific; addressing your own father or mentioning someone else's father
  • 父親ちちおや neutral
  • アボジ from Korean 아버지
  • 親父おやじ your own father or boss; old man; seems impolite. Used in 親父 おやじギャグ, "dad joke."

The topic drifted to how to refer to someone as old or aged (politely or impolitely). ふるい, appropriate only for old things, is out. So what's in?

  • 年寄としより, a noun for old people and the aged. 年 means "year" and 寄 means draw in, collect; so 年寄り is close to "reeling in the years." It also has a special meaning for retired sumo wrestlers.
  • 引退いんたい, a suru verb for retiring from work. The kanji mean "pull" and "retreat/withdraw". Sumo also uses the term 引退相撲いんたいずもう for a retirement ceremony exhibition match.
  • 定年ていねん, retirement age: literally "fix/decide" and "year". No bargaining here.
  • 隠居いんきょ also means retirement, but literally "hidden living". 居 is part of a word used all the the time, but usually as kana only: いる (to exist)