1.
visitor to a sick or hospitalized person; well-wisher
A person who visits someone who is ill, injured, or hospitalized to offer sympathy and encouragement. Visiting the sick (お見舞い) is an important social custom in Japan.
Composed of 見舞 (visiting the sick/expressing sympathy) + 客 (guest/visitor). Visiting someone in the hospital is a deeply rooted social obligation in Japan, and visitors typically bring gifts such as flowers, fruit, or money in a special envelope.
Common collocations
- 見舞客が来る: visitors come
- 見舞客が絶えない: visitors keep coming (said admiringly)
- 見舞客を断る: to decline visitors
- 見舞客の面会: hospital visitation