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How to say 'Parent' in Japanese | 親

Wondering how to say 'Parent' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Parent is 'Oya', written as 親 in Japanese.'Parent' in hiragana is おや.

    word

    Meaning

    Parent

    Reading

    おや

    oya

    Kanji

    Parent

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '親 (おや)' means 'parent'. This term is used to refer to one's mother or father, or parents in general. It can also be used in a broader sense to refer to someone who plays a parental role, such as a guardian or mentor. For example: my parents are kind「私の親は優しい」(わたしのおやはやさしい). He is like a parent to me「彼は私にとって親のような存在だ」(かれはわたしにとっておやのようなそんざいだ). The word can also be used in compounds, such as '親友 (しんゆう)' meaning 'close friend' (literally 'parent-like friend'), though this is a different usage of the kanji.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N4

    Kanji Grade

    2

    Frequency

    435

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Parent

Words Related to Through the Kanji

These 16 Words contain the Kanji 親 as well.

  • word

    母親

    Meaning

    Mother

  • word

    父親

    Meaning

    Father

  • word

    親切

    Meaning

    Kind

  • word

    不親切

    Meaning

    Unkind

  • word

    両親

    Meaning

    Parents

  • word

    親父

    Meaning

    Father, Old man

  • word

    親しい

    Meaning

    Close

  • word

    親類

    Meaning

    Relative

  • word

    親しむ

    Meaning

    Befriend

  • word

    親指

    Meaning

    Thumb

  • word

    親しみ

    Meaning

    Familiarity

  • word

    親子

    Meaning

    Parent child

  • word

    親戚

    Meaning

    Relative

  • word

    親善

    Meaning

    Friendship

  • word

    親族

    Meaning

    Relatives

  • word

    親友

    Meaning

    Best friend

Learn the Word

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What does 'Oya' (親) mean?

'Oya' means 'Parent' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.