I would like to ask about the following words: 父親【ちちおや】 and 母親【ははおや】. They
refer to father and mother, right? But why do they exist? When do we use them
instead of お父【とう】さん and お母【かあ】さん?

I have a similar misunderstanding regarding the following two words: 両親【りょうしん】
and 父母【ふぼ】

Basically they both mean parents or 'father and mother', but what is the
difference?

Thank you for your help in advance! Have a nice day!
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2012-11-27T15:37:12.393
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2012-11-27T23:18:11.823
2012-11-27T16:07:16.777
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word-choice politeness synonyms
Difference in word use: 父親 母親 両親 父母
'why do they exist' is kind of a strange question; why does any synonym exist?
If you're asking for a 'difference' between the two expressions, then 父母 is a
biological term implicating a biological mother and father, and 両親 is a social
term-- an adopted child's parents are 両親, not 父母. Naturally, a non-adopted
child's parents are 両親 as well.

As for 母親/父親, these words ring a bit more 'proper' than お父さん/お母さん. In this
case, it's a bit more about nuance-- the latter is a bit warmer/intimate than
the former. You might directly call your father お父さん, but when talking to your
boss about him, it would likely be preferable to call him 父親.
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2012-11-27T15:48:47.287
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Just one thing that I noticed about [両親]{りょうしん} and [父母]{ふぼ}・・・  
  
We say ご両親 to mean "your(=the hearer's) parents", but we don't use 父母 here
instead.  

> ご両親はお元気ですか。  
>  *ご父母はお元気ですか。

So I think 両親 can be used in an honorific expression([尊敬語]{そんけいご}), but 父母
can't.  
On the other hand, you can use either 父母 or 両親 to say "my parents".  

> いいえ。両親は去年他界しました。  
>  はい。父母ともに元気です。  
>

So I think both 父母 and 両親 can be used in a humble expression([謙譲語]{けんじょうご}).  
(Why...? I don't know... Anyone?)
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2012-11-27T23:18:11.823
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answer