ニーズ

• Reading: ニーズ
• Romaji: niizu
• Pronunciation: /niː.zɯ/

Meaning

Needs; demands; requirements. What people or the market want or require.

A katakana loanword from English 'needs.' Predominantly used in business and marketing contexts to describe customer or market demands. Common collocations include 顧客のニーズ (customer needs), ニーズに応える (to meet needs), and 潜在的ニーズ (latent needs). More formal than the native Japanese 必要 (hitsuyou) and carries a business/marketing flavour.

Examples

1. 顧客のニーズに合った商品を開発する必要がある。 It is necessary to develop products that match customer needs.
2. 時代のニーズに応えるサービスが求められている。 Services that meet the needs of the times are in demand.
3. 市場調査で消費者のニーズを把握した。 We identified consumer needs through market research.

Usage Guide

Context: business, marketing, economics, service industry

Tone: professional

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'needs.' Entered Japanese business vocabulary in the post-war economic growth period and became standard in marketing and management discourse.

Cultural Context

Era: Post-war

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal