What does “okyakusan” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “okyakusan” to mean ‘customer’, ‘client’, or ‘guest’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is quite often used in Japanese movies, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “okyakusan” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “okyakusan”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “okyakusan”.
- okyakusan – お客さん (おきゃくさん) : a noun meaning ‘customer’, ‘client’, or ‘guest’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people who come to someone’s shop or home.
The definition and meanings are not so difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.
Breakdown of “okyakusan”
“Okyakusan” consists of the following three components:
- o – お : a prefix used to make its following word polite.
- kyaku – 客 (きゃく) : a noun meaning ‘customer’, ‘client’, or ‘guest’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- san – さん : a honorific suffix often used after a name. This can also be used after a noun or pronoun to make it polite.
From these three components, we can understand that “okyakusan” is literally the polite expression for ‘customer’, ‘client’, or ‘guest’ in Japanese. So, its usages are very similar to those of the English words, “customer,” “client”, and “guest”.
When we meet new Japanese expressions, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about meanings of expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “okyakusan” through the detailed check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “customer” in Japanese
kanojo wa watashi no okyakusan desu – 彼女は私のお客さんです (かのじょはわたしのおきゃくさんです)
She is my customer.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “okyakusan” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “okyakusan”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “watashi no okyakusan”, which means ‘my customer’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “okyakusan”
motto okyakusan wo yobi tai – もっとお客さんを呼びたい (もっとおきゃくさんをよびたい)
I want to attract more customers.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- motto – もっと : an adverb of degree meaning ‘more’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “okyakusan” to make the object word in the sentence.
- yobi – 呼び (よび) : one conjugation of the verb, “yobu”, which means ‘to call’, ‘to invite’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- tai – たい : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its desire form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese tai form. In the example, this is used after “yobi” to make its desire form, “yobi tai”, which literally means ‘to want to call’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “okyakusan”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “okyakusan wo yobi tai”, which can mean ‘to attract customers’ in Japanese. When we want to say “customer” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “okyakusan” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- okyakusan – お客さん (おきゃくさん) : a noun meaning ‘customer’, ‘client’, or ‘guest’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people who come to someone’s shop or home. This noun is literally the polite expression for ‘customer’, ‘client’, or ‘guest’ in Japanese. When we want to say “customer” in Japanese, this is a very good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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