Affectionate / dialectal - common in southern Chinese (Taiwanese, Hokkien-influenced Mandarin) and in writing about minority groups (Tibetan, Uyghur). Standard Mandarin equivalents are
爸爸 or
爸. When capitalized as
阿爸 it can also render the Aramaic word Abba - used in Chinese Christian texts for God the Father (e.g. Romans 8:15).
