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}
?