Historical term for a traveler or guest from a distant place, often used in classical or poetic contexts. In modern Japanese, 客人 is usually read きゃくじん or きゃくにん.
In ancient times, they warmly welcomed visitors from afar.
This poem expresses the feeling of waiting for a guest from a distant land.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
Kana spelling, useful when the kanji are obscure.
Alternate kanji spelling, less common.
Abbreviated kanji form, rarely used alone for this reading.
Single-character kanji form, very rare.
The reading まろうど is an ancient Japanese word, likely a compound of まれ (rare, distant) and ひと (person), with sound changes. The exact derivation is uncertain.