応対
Meaning in Englishreceiving, dealing with
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 応対 mean? It denotes the act of attending to someone or something, especially in service settings, including greeting, listening, and providing an appropriate response when interacting with customers or visitors.
Main meanings
- formal handling of inquiries or requests
- reception and greeting of visitors or customers
- responding to a situation, question, or complaint in a professional manner
How to use it
Used in formal service contexts to describe how staff attend to people, including greeting and handling inquiries; it is common with suru-verb usage 応対する and appears in customer service, front-desk, and call-center settings. In casual speech, simpler terms like 対応 or 受け答え are more common, but 応対 remains standard in professional communications.
Variants and close terms
- 対応 — taio; general response or handling, broader than 応対
- 受け答え — uke-kotae; answering or replying, often in conversation
- 受付 — uketsuke; reception or front desk handling
Composition
- 応: to respond, comply; contributes the idea of replying to a request or situation
- 対: facing, confrontation; when combined, the concept is facing or addressing someone’s presence or inquiry
Etymology
etimologia The word is a native Japanese formation from 応 (to respond) and 対 (to face); the noun 応対 arose as a compound describing the act of facing and addressing a person’s presence or request.
Word class
Noun (suru-verb)