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In daily life, I usually hear the words `お客様{きゃくさま}`, `お客{きゃく}さん`, and maybe
other variants that use `客{きゃく}/客{かく}` to refer to customers at a shop.

However, in the dictionary, the first word that comes up for customer is
`顧客{こきゃく}`.

I feel like I've never heard that word, though it wouldn't be the first time I
realize a word I was unfamiliar with had actually been all around me all
along.

When is `顧客{こきゃく}` used, and how does it differ from the other variants of
`客{きゃく}`?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-15T14:43:01.213
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2016-03-21T06:23:51.093
2012-01-16T00:59:54.557
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119
question
word-choice
When is 顧客{こきゃく} used for "customer"?
> [顧客]{こきゃく}:
>
>   * 客/おとくいの客/customer/custom/client/patron/patronage
>

>
> お[客様]{きゃくさま}/お客/客:
>
>   * たずねてくる人([訪問客]{ほうもんきゃく}/[来客]{らいきゃく})
>   * [招]{まね}かれてくる人([招待客]{しょうたいきゃく})
>   * [旅館]{りょかん}に[泊]{と}まる人/caller/visitor/ company/guest
>   * [物]{もの}を[買]{か}う人/customer
>   * 物を[見]{み}に[来]{く}る人([観客]{かんきゃく})/audience/spectator
>   * [船]{ふね}や[車]{くるま}に[乗]{の}る人([乗客]{じょうきゃく})/passenger
>

Shop owners/sales clerks usually address their customers as 'お客様', and
sometimes as 'お客さん', which sounds less polite and formal. When they just talk
about customers, they might say 'お客さん/お客'.  
  
'顧客' is more formal (but not 'polite', so they never address their customers
as '顧客様' or '顧客さん'.), and I think it is more likely to be used in a meeting or
written in a document, and in the news/newspapers too.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-16T14:03:08.223
4303
2012-01-17T00:02:29.477
2012-01-17T00:02:29.477
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answer