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Kotomora

客

guest, visitor, customer, client

JLPTN3StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 1,000Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • キャク
  • カク

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

客 centers on a person who comes from outside: a guest, visitor, customer, or client. All meanings share the idea of someone temporarily present in a place or relationship.

Most common words using 客

21 of 235
  • 客きゃく
    N4

    guest; visitor

  • お客様おきゃくさま

    guest; visitor

  • 顧客こきゃく

    customer; client; patron

  • 観客かんきゃく
    N3

    spectator; audience

  • 乗客じょうきゃく
    N3

    passenger

  • 客観きゃっかん
    N1

    objectivity; objective; object (philosophical)

  • 客室きゃくしつ
    N1

    guest room (at a hotel); guest cabin (on a boat); passenger cabin (on a plane)

  • 客席きゃくせき
    N2

    guest seating (e.g. theater, stadium); passenger seat (e.g. taxi)

  • 来客らいきゃく
    N1

    visitor; caller

  • 客船きゃくせん

    passenger boat

  • 旅客りょかく
    N1

    passenger

  • 旅客機りょかくき
    N1

    passenger plane

  • 客員きゃくいん

    guest member; associate member; honorary member

  • 客車きゃくしゃ
    N1

    passenger car; passenger carriage

  • 客足きゃくあし

    customer traffic; customers; custom

  • 論客ろんきゃく

    controversialist; polemic; disputant

  • 客間きゃくま
    N2

    drawing room; parlor; parlour; guest room

  • 賓客ひんきゃく

    guest of honour; guest of honor; privileged guest; visitor

  • 客観的きゃっかんてき
    N2

    objective

  • 観光客かんこうきゃく
    N3

    tourist

  • 顧客満足こきゃくまんぞく

    customer satisfaction

Explore all words using 客 →

Study

Etymology

客 combines 宀 (roof, building) with 各, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of arriving or coming. Together they suggest a person arriving at a building as a guest.

Meaning mnemonic

Under a roof 宀, the shape 各 looks like a person arriving with a mouth 口 ready to speak. Picture a guest entering a home and greeting the host.

Reading mnemonic

For キャク, imagine a guest arriving with a loud 'kyak' sound as the door opens: kyak -> キャク, and the visitor steps inside.