父

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 父 (ちち) is a noun a speaker commonly uses to refer to their own father.
• Basic usage: It is used when speaking about one's father to others, and 父と marks doing something together with him.
  • 父は毎朝庭の花に水をやります。 — My father waters the garden flowers every morning.
  • 週末に父と古い机を修理しました。 — I repaired an old desk with my father over the weekend.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Own father and respectful address
  • 父 normally refers to one's own father when speaking to others, while お父さん is used to address a father or refer respectfully to someone else's.