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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "customer" in Japanese?
顧客
kokyaku
In Japanese, "customer" is 顧客 (kokyaku).
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Pronunciation
Kokyaku pairs a short 'ko' with a palatalized 'kyaku', so it sounds like 'koh-kyah-ku', not 'ko-kai-aku'.
Writing and usage
顧客 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
お客様は返金を求めました。
o kyakusama ha henkin wo motome mashita.
The customer asked for a refund.
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How to remember 顧客
Kokyaku brings 'cash' to mind -- a customer walks in with cash and 'ko-kyaku' rhymes loosely with that idea.
Related words
- grandfather 祖父 sofu
- grandmother 祖母 sobo
- uncle おじさん ojisan
- aunt おばさん obasan
- nephew 甥 oi
- niece 姪 mei
- cousin いとこ itoko
- stepfather 継父 mamachichi
- stepmother 継母 mamahaha
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 顧客
How do you pronounce 顧客?
Kokyaku pairs a short 'ko' with a palatalized 'kyaku', so it sounds like 'koh-kyah-ku', not 'ko-kai-aku'.
Is 顧客 formal or casual?
顧客 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 顧客 written in Japanese?
顧客 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as kokyaku.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Customer" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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