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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "godfather" in Japanese?
名付け親
nazuke oya
In Japanese, "godfather" is 名付け親 (nazuke oya).
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Pronunciation
Nah-zoo-keh oh-yah, five syllables across two words, built from naming plus oya, parent.
Writing and usage
名付け親 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
私の名付け親は毎年カードを送ってくるの。
watashi no nazuke oya ha maitoshi kaado wo okutsu tekuruno.
My godfather sends a card every year.
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How to remember 名付け親
Nazuke oya literally means naming-parent, the parent figure who names or sponsors a child.
Related words
- grandfather 祖父 sofu
- grandmother 祖母 sobo
- uncle おじさん ojisan
- aunt おばさん obasan
- nephew 甥 oi
- niece 姪 mei
- cousin いとこ itoko
- stepfather 継父 mamachichi
- stepmother 継母 mamahaha
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 名付け親
How do you pronounce 名付け親?
Nah-zoo-keh oh-yah, five syllables across two words, built from naming plus oya, parent.
Is 名付け親 formal or casual?
名付け親 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 名付け親 written in Japanese?
名付け親 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as nazuke oya.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Godfather" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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