父, Chichi - Meaning in Japanese

The word chichi means "father" in Japanese (or "breasts," see: oppai おっぱい). It's somewhat synonymous with otousan お父さん, but differs in usage. (see chichi vs. otousan). The "mother" counterpart would be haha 母.

• Kanji
• Derived Words

Kanji

The word chichi written with kanji is chichi 父. Do not mistake it with the homonym chichi 乳, which means "breasts" or "milk."

Given that chichi is written with a very basic kanji, it's unlikely to be written without kanji, but here's how you'd write it with kana anyway just in case:

• chichi ちち (hiragana)
• chichi チチ (katakana)

Derived Words

A number of Japanese words derive from chichi 乳... err, chichi 父, and also mean father.

The word chichioya 父親 is usually an indirect way to refer to one's father, referring to them as a "parent," oya 親, rather than directly.

The word chichiue 父上 is a respectful word that was more common in the past but isn't really used nowadays. In anime, its usage usually denotes the character comes from a more traditional family, anachronistic.

The words chichigimi 父君 and chichigo 父御 are also rather old-fashioned ways to refer to one's father. They may be found in writing sometimes.