顧客|こきゃくkokyaku[0]heiban (flat)

1. no-adjectivecustomer; client; patron
   銀行ぎんこうはリスクの高たかい顧客こきゃくへのローンには高たかい金利きんりをつける。↗

   Banks charge higher interest on loans to risky customers.

• Synonym取引先とりひきさきNeutralA business partner you deal with — can be a customer or a supplier, as in 「取引先との商談」; 「顧客」 refers only to the party buying goods or services.
• Synonymお客様おきゃくさまFormalHonorific term for a guest or customer, as in 「お客様センター」; used when addressing someone directly.
• SynonymクライアントNeutralLoanword for the party commissioning work — professional services like law, accounting, architecture, plus advertising; 「顧客」 leans toward general commerce.
• SynonymカスタマーNeutralLoanword for customer, mostly in compounds like 「カスタマーサポート」.
• Synonym客きゃくNeutralBroad word for a guest or customer, as in 「客が多い」; covers a wide range but carries no honorifics.
• Synonym得意先とくいさきWrittenWritten/formal term for regular business customers, as in 「得意先回り」; leans toward commercial dealings.
• Synonymお客さんおきゃくさんCasualColloquial word for a guest or customer, as in 「お客さんが来た」; more casual than 「お客様」.
• Related常連じょうれんNeutralA regular, a familiar face, as in 「店の常連」; focuses on individuals who come often.
• Related買い手かいてNeutralThe buyer — the purchasing side of a transaction, as in 「買い手市場」; views the person as one party in a deal.
• Related依頼者いらいしゃWrittenWritten/formal term for the person making a request, as in 「調査の依頼者」; leans toward commissioned work.
• Related依頼人いらいにんWrittenWritten/formal term for a client who commissions a professional, e.g. a lawyer or detective; leans toward professional services.
• Related客筋きゃくすじCasualColloquial word for a shop's clientele or customer base; focuses on the type of customers rather than individuals.
• Related常客じょうきゃくWrittenWritten/formal term for a regular customer; rare in use — say 「常連」 in speech.
• Related常得意じょうとくいWrittenWritten/formal term for a longtime patron; carries an old-fashioned merchant flavor.
• Related得意客とくいきゃくNeutralA steady customer who keeps giving the shop their business; seen from the merchant's viewpoint.
• Relatedなじみ客なじみきゃくCasualColloquial word for a familiar regular, as in 「なじみ客の多い店」; carries a warm, personal nuance.
• Antonym業者ぎょうしゃNeutralA business in a trade that takes on jobs; usually the side providing goods or services. An opposite of 「顧客」 only in typical stance, not a strict antonym.
• Antonym売り手うりてNeutralThe seller, the side that sells; the opposite of the buying 「顧客」.

Use 「顧客」 for a company's or shop's customers as a group, as in 「顧客満足度」 or 「顧客情報」. Address people directly with 「お客様」; for business counterparts, customers or suppliers alike, use 「取引先」; for regulars, 「常連」. The opposite side of the transaction is 「売り手」. For professional services, 「クライアント」 or 「依頼人」 works; 「カスタマー」 appears mostly in compounds like 「カスタマーサポート」; in casual speech, 「お客さん」 or plain 「客」.

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

1. 商売しょうばいなどの御ご得意客とくいきゃく。