Difference between おじいさん and おじさん


I'm wondering if there is much difference in the pronunciation of the words or
intonation of them. Is it just the long vowel?




  * おじいさん with the long //iː// sound means "grandfather".

  * おじさん with the short //i// sound means "uncle".

In modern Japanese, these are distinguished by vowel length and by pitch
accent -- "grandfather" has a downstep after the second mora, so the _ji_ is a
higher pitch than the second _i_ : おじいさん{LHLLL}, whereas "uncle" has no
downstep: おじさん{LHHH}.

Looking at the derivations, the initial _o-_ in "grandfather" is an honorific
prefix, and the _-san_ on the end is an honorific suffix. The root term is
_jī_ , from older _jiji_ (still encountered occasionally, often meaning "old
man"), from ancient _didi_.

Meanwhile, in "uncle", the _-san_ on the end is an honorific suffix, but the
_o-_ on the front is part of the root term, _oji_. This is from older _woji_ ,
from ancient _wodi_.

