Is 〜たち used for groups of only two people?


In [a recent
comment](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/28196/%e3%81%aa%e3%81%97-used-
for-both-animate-and-inanimate-things#comment59151_28196), Sjiveru wrote:

> 親たち isn't really valid for 'one's two parents', it means more of 'a group of
> parents (necessarily several families' worth)'. Outside of very modern uses
> with personal pronouns, たち can't be used for just two people.

To which mirka wrote [a thoughtful
reply](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/28196/%e3%81%aa%e3%81%97-used-
for-both-animate-and-inanimate-things#comment59154_28196):

> Interesting, you'd never call your parents 親たち, but you would call your two
> children 子供たち, or your siblings お姉ちゃんたち, 弟たち, etc. I wonder why that is.

Is there a restriction on using 〜たち for just two people? If so, is this a rule
with exceptions, as in mirka's comment?

Or is there a better explanation for why you'd never call your parents 親たち?




The single/plural duality of 親 _as a concept_ is actually not that different
from 子供, in that these phrases parallel each other:

  * 親のいない家庭／子供のいない家庭
  * 親同伴／子供同伴
  * 親の目が届かない場所／子供の手が届かない場所
  * 親に反対された／子供に反対された

I was thinking about this further, and noticed one good reason that 親たち is so
infrequently used.

# It is rude

親 is simply rude when referring _actual parents_ , and not the _concept of
parent_.

  1. Within the family and with casual acquaintances, you are likely to refer to your parents by what you actually call them — 「お父さんお母さんどこ行った？」「パパたち帰ってきたよ」「お袋たちに聞いてみよう」. (`〜たち` is often suffixed to one of the parents to mean both parents)
  2. To people you are on 敬語 terms with, you refer to your own parents humbly but politely, as 両親, 父母, 父と母.
  3. People outside the family will refer to your parents politely, as ご両親, 親御さんたち, 親御さん方, お父様方, お母様方 etc. (`〜たち` is suffixed very naturally to 親御さん, the polite form of 親)

So, since _actual_ parents are referred to politely, and the _concept_ of
parent already includes some sense of plurality, there is very little need for
the word 親たち. It is only used to emphasize that you are talking about concept-
parent in plural (i.e., sets of parents), and almost never used to talk about
actual-parent in plural.




The single/plural duality of 親 _as a concept_ is actually not that different
from 子供, in that these phrases parallel each other:

  * 親のいない家庭／子供のいない家庭
  * 親同伴／子供同伴
  * 親の目が届かない場所／子供の手が届かない場所
  * 親に反対された／子供に反対された

I was thinking about this further, and noticed one good reason that 親たち is so
infrequently used.

# It is rude

親 is simply rude when referring _actual parents_ , and not the _concept of
parent_.

  1. Within the family and with casual acquaintances, you are likely to refer to your parents by what you actually call them — 「お父さんお母さんどこ行った？」「パパたち帰ってきたよ」「お袋たちに聞いてみよう」. (`〜たち` is often suffixed to one of the parents to mean both parents)
  2. To people you are on 敬語 terms with, you refer to your own parents humbly but politely, as 両親, 父母, 父と母.
  3. People outside the family will refer to your parents politely, as ご両親, 親御さんたち, 親御さん方, お父様方, お母様方 etc. (`〜たち` is suffixed very naturally to 親御さん, the polite form of 親)

So, since _actual_ parents are referred to politely, and the _concept_ of
parent already includes some sense of plurality, there is very little need for
the word 親たち. It is only used to emphasize that you are talking about concept-
parent in plural (i.e., sets of parents), and almost never used to talk about
actual-parent in plural.

