The kanji 客 primarily conveys the meaning of "guest," "visitor," or "customer." It refers to someone who is visiting a place, attending an event, or patronizing a business. The core idea is that of someone being received or welcomed. The character encompasses the idea of someone being in a non-resident or non-owner status at a particular location or establishment.

・On-yomi (音読み): キャク (kyaku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ま（れ） (ma(re)) – rare, infrequent (used in very limited contexts)

⚫︎ お客様 Translation: Customer; guest ⚫︎ 客室 Translation: Guest room; hotel room ⚫︎ 乗客 Translation: Passenger

If the user's native language is Vietnamese: The kanji 客 corresponds closely to the Sino-Vietnamese word 客 (Khách) in Vietnamese. Vietnamese and Kanji have about a 70% correspondence rate, meaning many Vietnamese words are derived from Sino-Vietnamese (漢越語) and share origins with Japanese kanji. In this case, 客 (Khách) retains the same meaning as "guest" or "customer". For example: ⚫︎ Khách hàng: Customer ⚫︎ Khách sạn: Hotel

The kanji 客 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It combines the phonetic component 各 (kaku, meaning "each" or "every") with the semantic component 宀 (u, representing a house or roof). The original meaning was related to "guests" or "visitors" in a house. The 各 component provided the sound and possibly implied a gathering of individuals, while the 宀 element indicated the place of reception. The character gradually evolved to represent guests in broader contexts, such as customers in a shop or passengers on a vehicle.