noun
gentlemen; gents
Polite or respectful term for a group of men, often used in service contexts (e.g., by staff addressing male customers). Slightly old-fashioned; 皆様 is more common in modern polite speech.
旦那衆、お待たせいたしました。
Gentlemen, thank you for waiting.
あの店は旦那衆でいつも賑わっている。
That shop is always bustling with gentlemen.
Singular form meaning 'master', 'husband', or 'patron'; 旦那衆 is the plural, referring to a group of such men.
Compound of 旦那 (danna, 'master' or 'husband', from Sanskrit dāna via Buddhist usage) and 衆 (shū, 'multitude' or 'people'). The exact historical development is uncertain, but it has been used since the Edo period to refer to a group of male patrons or gentlemen.