(とくい)

おとくい
noun
specialty; regular customer, valued customer
polite
1. specialty, forte, strong point
Something one is good at or skilled in, with the polite prefix お.
料理(りょうり)得意(とくい)なんです
You're good at cooking, aren't you?
ピアノ得意(とくい)です
Are you good at piano?
Please show us your specialty magic trick.
2. regular customer, valued customer, patron
A customer who frequently does business with a shop or company.
得意(とくい)さまいらっしゃいました
A valued customer has arrived.
We offer special discounts to long-time customers.
この(みせ)得意(とくい)さまになって十年(じゅうねん)なる
I've been a regular customer of this shop for ten years.

得意(とくい) has two distinct meanings depending on context.

SENSE 1 (specialty):
Polite form of 得意(とくい) (strong point). Used when asking about or praising someone's skills.

SENSE 2 (customer):
Often appears as お得意(とくい)さま or お得意(とくい)さん.

  • 得意(とくい)さま: valued customer (formal/business)
  • 得意(とくい)さん: regular customer (casual)

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