The Meaning of sābisu [サービス] In Japanese

サービス
サービス
Romaji: sābisu N5

What does サービス mean?

Translation and Meaning

service, service charge, complimentary service

Definition

サービス means service; in Japanese it’s a loanword used to refer to the overall act and experience of providing goods or assistance to customers, including hospitality, customer support, and promotional extras.

Type

Noun (gairaigo)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • General concept of service in business and daily interactions, such as customer support or hospitality.
  • Complimentary or promotional extras offered by a store or service provider, often called service or freebies.
  • Service as a category in the service industry, distinct from tangible goods or product sales.

Etymology

From English service, borrowed into Japanese as サービス, with phonetic adaptation to Japanese phonology and katakana rendering.

Origin

Modernization era (late 19th to early 20th century) in Japan; adoption of Western business terminology, especially in hospitality and retail, to describe the provision of help or perks to customers.

Usage

Used in formal business language and everyday conversation to denote the act of providing assistance, customer care, or promotional extras; common forms include カスタマーサービス for customer service and 店のサービス for in-shop service; typical usage appears in advertisements, proposals, and service-descriptions. 例: レストランのサービスが良い. カスタマーサービスを強化する. 無料のサービスを提供する.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize a server bowing and handing a small free extra while saying sābisu; the long ‘ā’ in sābisu echoes the English origin of the word and helps recall its meaning as a hospitality/benefit concept.

Variations

  • カスタマーサービス — kasutā sābisu
  • 接客 — sekkyaku
  • 無料サービス — mushō sābisu

Example Phrases

  • レストランでスタッフのサービスがとても良かった
    Resutoran de sutaffu no sābisu ga totemo yokatta
    The staff’s service at the restaurant was very good.
    Lista:
    • レストランで (Resutoran de) – at the restaurant
    • スタッフの (sutaffu no) – staff’s
    • サービスが (sābisu ga) – service (subject)
    • とても (totemo) – very
    • 良かった (yokatta) – was good
    The target word is 「サービス」 (service). The particle 「が」 marks the subject and 「の」 shows possession/association (スタッフのサービス).
サービス