店員

• Reading: てんいん
• Romaji: tenin
• Kanji breakdown: 店 (ten/mise) — shop, store; 員 (in) — member, personnel
• Pronunciation: /te.ɴ.iɴ/

Meaning

A shop employee; a clerk; a store staff member.

Refers to anyone working at a shop or store, from convenience store cashiers to department store staff. A neutral, respectful term. In conversation, 店員さん (with the polite suffix) is more common when referring to or addressing a specific shop worker.

Examples

1. 店員さんに聞いてみましょう。 Let's ask the store clerk.
2. 店員がとても親切でした。 The shop staff were very friendly.
3. あの店は店員の対応がいいです。 That store has great customer service from its employees.

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, restaurants, customer service

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From classical Chinese. 店 means shop or store, and 員 means member or personnel. Together they describe a person who belongs to a shop.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal