Oyaji (おやじ)
Meaning: One’s dad, Older man, One’s boss
Romaji: Oyaji
Hiragana: おやじ
Katakana: オヤジ
Kanji: 親父
Antonym: Ofukuro (おふくろ)
A friendly word (in informal situations, by a man) to his father. Women often call their father Otousan, papa, instead of Oyaji.
Also, Oyaji is a word that can be used to refer to the owner of a store or an older person, even if he is not a father. In workplaces such as construction, the boss is often called Oyaji.
Oyaji is also a popular name for brown bears inhabiting Hokkaido, although it is rarely used today.
The kanji for OYAJI can also be read as Shinpu, which means birth father.
・彼はおやじにそっくりだ。
Kare wa oyaji ni sokkuri da
He looks just like his father.
Is Oyaji polite?
As I said earlier, Oyaji means “older man,” so it’s rude, so it’s better to call when you get along with him or understand each other.
For example, it would not be nice to call a 30-year-old shopkeeper Oyaji, but you might call a friendly shopkeeper over 50 Oyaji.
It’s not rude to call the store manager Otousan instead of Oyaji, but rather it’s friendly!
Related Words
Oyaji Gyagu (おやじギャグ)
Meaning: Oyaji’s jokes
Oyaji Gari (おやじ狩り)
Meaning: Oyaji Gari is a group of delinquents attacking and beating middle-aged, weak-looking men.
