The Meaning of ten’in [店員] In Japanese

店員
てんいん
Romaji: ten’in N5

What does 店員 mean?

Translation and Meaning

shop clerk, store employee

Definition

店員 means a shop clerk or store employee who assists customers and handles day-to-day tasks in retail settings; it denotes staff rather than a manager, and is used across retail contexts from convenience stores to department stores.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • General meaning: a staff member who works at a store and assists customers.
  • Polite address: 店員さん used when addressing a staff member in a friendly way.
  • Broader retail context: can refer to employees across various shop types, from convenience stores to department stores.

Etymology

From Sino-Japanese on’yomi readings; the compound combines 店 and 員 with the pronunciation ten’in, a regular on’yomi construction for store-related roles.

Composition

  • 店: store, shop
  • 員: member, person, attendant
  • 店員: a person who works at a store; a shop clerk

Usage

Used in retail and service contexts to refer to staff; in formal or semi-formal speech, it is a neutral noun; in casual settings, 店員さん is common when addressing a clerk or referring to staff in conversation; signage and product packaging may use it to indicate staff presence.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a store doorway labeled TEN and a person standing INSIDE—the person who is in the store is the 店員.

Variations

  • 販売員 (hanbaiin) – salesperson
  • 店員さん (ten’in-san) – polite address
  • 従業員 (jūgyōin) – employee in a broader workplace context

Example Phrases

  • 店員は 直接 私に おすすめを 教えてくれた。
    ten’in wa chokusetsu watashi ni osusume o oshiete kureta.
    The clerk directly told me a recommendation.
    Lista:
    • 店員は (ten’in wa) – the clerk
    • 直接 (chokusetsu) – directly
    • 私に (watashi ni) – to me
    • おすすめを (osusume o) – a recommendation
    • 教えてくれた (oshiete kureta) – told me
    核心点: 「直接」 é um advérbio que modifica o verbo, enfatizando que a ação foi feita diretamente para a pessoa marcada por に.
  • 店員は 客の 要望を 個別に 聞いた。
    ten’in wa kyaku no yobou o kobetsu ni kiita.
    The clerk listened to the customer’s requests individually.
    Lista:
    • 店員は (ten’in wa) – the clerk
    • 客の (kyaku no) – customer’s
    • 要望を (yobou o) – requests
    • 個別に (kobetsu ni) – individually
    • 聞いた (kiita) – listened
    Here, 「個別に」 functions as an adverb modifying 聞いた, meaning ‘individually / separately’ in this context.
  • 駅で 直に 店員に 話しかけて みた。
    Eki de jika ni ten’in ni hanashikakete mita.
    I tried talking directly to the clerk at the station.
    Lista:
    • 駅で (Eki de) – at the station
    • 直に (jika ni) – directly
    • 店員に (ten’in ni) – to the clerk
    • 話しかけて (hanashikakete) – to talk to
    • みた (mita) – tried
    Here 「直に」 means ‘directly’ or ‘personally’, used to emphasize firsthand action.
  • 店員に おすすめを 聞いて コーヒーを 買った。
    ten’in ni osusume o kiite kōhī o katta.
    I asked the clerk for a recommendation and bought coffee.
    Lista:
    • 店員に (ten’in ni) – to the clerk
    • おすすめを (osusume o) – a recommendation
    • 聞いて (kiite) – asking
    • コーヒーを (kōhī o) – coffee
    • 買った (katta) – bought
    Uses the pattern 「X に Y を 聞く」 with 「店員」 as X to mean ‘ask the clerk for Y’.
  • レストランで 注文を 伝えると 店員が すぐ 持って来た。
    Resutoran de chūmon o tsutaeru to ten’in ga sugu motte kita.
    At the restaurant, once I gave the order, the waiter brought it right away.
    Lista:
    • レストランで (Resutoran de) – at the restaurant
    • 注文を (chūmon o) – order (object)
    • 伝えると (tsutaeru to) – when I tell
    • 店員が (ten’in ga) – the waiter
    • すぐ (sugu) – immediately
    • 持って来た (motte kita) – brought (it)
    The noun 「注文」 is the direct object of 「伝える」; the conditional 「伝えると」 means ‘when/once I tell’.
店員