得意先|とくいさきtokuisaki

1. noun(regular) customer; client; patron; clientele
   その会社かいしゃは将来しょうらいお得意先とくいさきになりそうな人々ひとびとをパーティーに招待しょうたいした。↗

   The company invited their prospective customers to the party.

• Synonym顧客こきゃくNeutralGeneric word for customers and clients, frequent in marketing and service contexts (「顧客満足度」); 「得意先」 means specifically a long-standing business customer.
• Synonym取引先とりひきさきNeutralA business counterpart, covering suppliers as well as customers; its range is wider than 「得意先」, which is limited to buyers.
• SynonymカスタマーNeutralLoanword for a customer, seen mostly in compounds such as 「カスタマーサポート」.
• Synonym得意客とくいきゃくNeutralA patron who visits often and buys a lot; usually individual customers of retail shops, while 「得意先」 often refers to business-to-business trading partners.
• Relatedお客様おきゃくさまFormalFormal honorific for guests and customers, used in direct address and service settings; 「得意先」 is the business term for a fixed customer, as in notices like 「得意先各位」.
• Related買い手かいてNeutralThe buyer's side in a sale; it states only the position in the transaction and carries no sense of an ongoing relationship.
• Related客きゃくNeutralThe broadest word for guests and customers in general; 「得意先」 refers specifically to a fixed business customer.
• Related依頼者いらいしゃNeutralSomeone who commissions work; used for lawyers, detectives and similar services, and centred on the act of entrusting rather than buying.
• RelatedクライアントNeutralLoanword for a client or patron, common in advertising and consulting; in IT it also means the client (software) side.
• Relatedお客さんおきゃくさんCasualColloquial honorific for customers; friendlier than 「お客様」 and with no nuance of regular, ongoing patronage.
• Related依頼人いらいにんNeutralA client who commissions work; synonymous with 「依頼者」 and typical of detectives and lawyers.
• Related客筋きゃくすじNeutralA shop's customer base and the type of people who patronize it, as in 「客筋がいい」; it focuses on the clientele as a group.
• Antonym仕入れ先しいれさきNeutralAntonym: the party you buy stock or materials from, i.e. a supplier; 「得意先」 is the party you sell to.

Use 「得意先」 for a buyer you do steady business with over the long term, as in 「得意先回り」. For customers in general say 「顧客」; for a business counterpart, 「取引先」; and when addressing someone directly, 「お客様」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 商家しょうかなどで普段ふだん商品しょうひんを購入こうにゅうしてくれる顧客こきゃく。通常つうじょう取引とりひきしている相手あいて。