お客様
Meanings
1
Honorific term for a guest or visitor, used by hosts or staff to show respect.
The guest is waiting at the entrance.
I will show the hotel guest to their room.
2
Honorific term for a customer, client, or patron in shops, restaurants, and businesses. Also used for spectators, passengers, and tourists in service contexts.
The customer is god.
There are few customers right now, so it's quiet.
Usage patterns
- 〈場所〉にお客様がいらっしゃるa customer/guest comes to a place (honorific)
A customer came to the store.
- お客様を迎えるto welcome/receive a guest or customer
All the staff welcomed the guests with smiles.
- お客様に対応するto attend to / deal with a customer
My job is to attend to customers at the reception desk.
- お客様をお待たせするto make a customer wait
I'm very sorry, but we are keeping our customers waiting.
- お客様のご要望にお応えするto respond to a customer's request
We want to meet our customers' requests as much as possible.
Expressions
- お客様は神様the customer is always right; the customer is king