客(きゃく)

きゃく
noun
guest, customer
businesspersonbusiness
See also: お客(きゃく)さん (polite form), お客様(きゃくさま) (honorific form)
1. guest, visitor
Someone who visits a home or is invited somewhere. A person being hosted.
客(きゃく)が来(き)ます。
A guest is coming.
今日(きょう)は客(きゃく)が来(き)ます。
A guest is coming today.
客(きゃく)に何(なに)を出(だ)しましょうか。
What shall we serve to the guest?
お客(きゃく)さんが帰(かえ)ったので、片付(かたづ)けをします。
The guest has left, so I'll clean up.
週末(しゅうまつ)に友達(ともだち)が客(きゃく)として家(いえ)に泊(と)まりに来(き)ます。
My friend is coming to stay at my house as a guest this weekend.
2. customer, client
Someone who buys goods or services from a business.
客(きゃく)が多(おお)いです。
There are many customers.
この店(みせ)は客(きゃく)が多(おお)いです。
This shop has many customers.
お客(きゃく)さま、いらっしゃいませ。
Welcome, dear customer.
Polite form with さま
今日(きょう)は客(きゃく)が少(すく)ないので、早(はや)く閉(し)めましょう。
There are few customers today, so let's close early.
新(あたら)しい客(きゃく)を増(ふ)やすために、店(みせ)のサービスを良(よ)くしなければなりません。
We need to improve the store's service to attract more customers.

客(きゃく) means "guest" or "customer." It's often used with polite prefixes and suffixes in service contexts.

Register

  • 客(きゃく): customer/guest (plain, can sound blunt)
  • お客(きゃく)さん: customer/guest (polite)
  • お客(きゃく)さま: customer/guest (very polite, service industry)

Compounds

Usage note: In business and service contexts, using 客(きゃく) alone can sound cold or rude. お客(きゃく)さま is standard in retail and hospitality.

Related Words

Compare: 乗客(じょうきゃく) (passenger)
Compare: 依頼人(いらいにん) (client)
Compare: 訪問者(ほうもんしゃ) (visitor)
basic
Added 2026.1.7 21:46 · Revised 2026.10.4 22:02
00500/00865_kyaku