JLPT · Level 91
45 words
Japanese word
坊ちゃん
Pronunciation
Romajibotchan
Meaning
- nounson
Example
田中さんの坊ちゃんが来ました。ta naka sa n no bot cha n ga ki ma shi ta
Mr. Tanaka's son came.
More examples
祖母は私をいつまでも坊ちゃんと呼びます。so bo wa watashi o i tsu ma de mo bot cha n to yo bi ma su
My grandmother still calls me her little boy.
Core concept
It refers to a male child or son viewed with familiar affection, and sometimes to the young master of a household.
Common phrases
うちの坊ちゃんu chi no bot cha n
our son
Similar words
息子musuko: The usual neutral term for a male child of a parent.
せがれsegare: A familiar and informal word for a person's own son.
子息shisoku: A respectful formal word for a person's son.
Definition in Japanese
他人の息子や男児を、親しみを込めて呼ぶ語。また、奉公先などの家の男児や若主人を指す語。ta nin no musuko ya dan ji o shita shi mi o ko me te yo bu go ma ta hō kō saki na do no ie no dan ji ya waka shu jin o sa su go
Word origin
坊ちゃん (botchan) combines 坊 (bō, "boy or young master") with ちゃん (chan, a familiar diminutive suffix).
Usage tips
- In Natsume Soseki's 1906 novel Botchan, the title names the narrator, a blunt schoolteacher whose experiences in Matsuyama drive the story.
Other meanings
- boynoun
- young masternoun