Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 손님 | sonnim | [sʰo̞nnim] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | |
| 손 | son | [sʰo̞n] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | |
| 고객 | gogaek | [ko̞ɡɛk̚] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [ko̞ɡe̞k̚] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
|
| 고객님 | gogaengnim | [ko̞ɡɛŋnim] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [ko̞ɡe̞ŋnim] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
honorific |
The terms used for customer depend on whether you are talking about a person in a general setting or referring to a customer in a professional business context, such as in 'customer service'.
Which one should you use?
손님 is a general and polite term used for a guest in a restaurant or a customer in a small shop. In contrast, 고객 is used in formal, business or professional contexts, such as 'customer service' or 'customer satisfaction'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
손님 is the standard polite way to address a customer directly in many service settings and is also a formal term to address customers. 고객님 is the honorific form of 고객. It is the most common formal term for "customer" in Korean and is used by staff to address customers with high respect, especially in retail or service industries.
How do you pronounce it?
sonnim
Did you know?
- In traditional Korean folk beliefs, 손님 was once used as a euphemism for spirits or deities of smallpox to avoid offending them.
- The word 고객 contains the character 顧, which means 'to look back' or 'to look after'. This suggests the customer is someone who is being looked after or attended to.
- The term 손님 is rooted in the concept of a 'guest' rather than just a 'buyer'. This means that in a Korean shop, you are being treated as a visiting guest in someone's home rather than just a transactional entity.
Examples in context
- 영수증을 잃어버려서 이케아와 은행, 둘 다의 고객서비스에 전화해야 했어.I lost my receipt and had to call customer service at both IKEA and the bank.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 고객 in the context of customer service.Tatoeba #3718240 by Eunhee, translation #11461347 by camouat
- 통화해서 고객 서비스 상담원에게 말하기 전까지 연결 대기 큐에서 20분이나 기다렸어야 했어.I had to wait 20 minutes on the phone before reaching the customer service rep.This sentence shows the use of 고객 when discussing customer service representatives.Tatoeba #3718242 by Eunhee, translation #4058789 by hsilver
- 우리는 고객의 만족을 위해서 최선을 다한다.Customer satisfaction is our number one priority.This sentence demonstrates how to use 고객 regarding customer satisfaction.Tatoeba #5269431 by Sudajaengi, translation #553035 by darinmex
- 고객님, 안녕하세요? 어떤 도움이 필요하신가요?Hello, customer! How can I assist you?
- 손님, 주문하시겠어요?Customer, would you like to place an order?
- 이 손님은 항상 친절하시네요.This customer is always kind.
- 어떤 고객이 더 많이 구매하나요?Which customers make more purchases?
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Minjun are working at a small cafe.
- 서연 Seo-yeon민준 씨, 저기 손님 오셨어요.Minjun ssi, jeogi sonnim osyeosseoyo.Minjun, a customer has arrived over there.
- 민준 Min-jun네, 제가 바로 응대하겠습니다.Ne, jega baro eungdaehagesseumnida.Yes, I will attend to them right away.
- 서연 Seo-yeon손님이 주문하시려는 메뉴가 뭐예요?Sonnimi jumunhasiryeoneun menyuga mwoyeyo?What menu item is the customer trying to order?
- 민준 Min-jun아이스 아메리카노 한 잔이시네요.Aiseu amerikano han janisineyo.It is one iced americano.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “customer” translations and entries 손님, 손, 고객, 고객님, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 고객, 고객님, 손, 손님, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
