Question 1

What does 来客 mean?

Accepted Answer

来客 (らいきゃく) literally means “incoming guests” or “visitors.” It refers to people who come to your home or place of business.

Question 2

Why is there a の between 来客 and ため?

Accepted Answer

In Japanese, ため is a noun meaning “sake,” “purpose,” or “reason.” To express “for the purpose of X,” you attach の to X:  
- Xのため → “for X’s sake” or “for X’s purpose.”  
So 来客のため = “for the guests’ sake.”

Question 3

What nuance does ために add to the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Here ために indicates purpose, not cause. It answers “why did you clean the room?”  
- “I cleaned the room in order to (ために) welcome the guests.”  
Contrast with ため (without に) in a causal sense, which is more formal/written:  
- 体調不良のため、欠席します (“Due to poor health, I will be absent.”)

Question 4

Why is there a に after ため?

Accepted Answer

Because ため is a noun, and to turn it into a purpose phrase you need the particle に. Many nouns that express direction or target—like 目的 (もくてき), 準備 (じゅんび), ため—take に when used to indicate “for” or “in order to.”

Question 5

Can you drop the に and say 来客のため部屋を掃除しました?

Accepted Answer

No. To express purpose with ため, you must include に. Without it, the phrase is ungrammatical for purpose.  
You can, however, use ための when modifying a noun:  
- 来客のための掃除 (“cleaning for the guests”)  
But when you attach a verb after ため, you need に:  
- 来客のために掃除しました.

Question 6

Why is 部屋 marked with を here?

Accepted Answer

Because 掃除する is a transitive verb (a “suru-verb”). You clean something, so the thing being cleaned (部屋) is the direct object and takes を:  
- 部屋を掃除しました  
(“I cleaned the room.”)

Question 7

Could you say お掃除しました instead of 掃除しました to sound more polite?

Accepted Answer

You can say お掃除をしました or お掃除しました, but it’s more natural to add お to the noun and keep を:  
- 部屋をお掃除しました  
Also, you often add お only when speaking politely to someone else, not when referring neutrally to your own action.

Question 8

What’s the difference between 来客 and お客様?

Accepted Answer

- 来客 is neutral/formal, used in writing or business contexts.  
- お客様 is honorific and more polite, often used when addressing or referring respectfully to customers/guests.  
So in a polite phrase you might say:  
お客様のためにお部屋をお掃除しました.

Question 9

Why is the verb in the past polite form 掃除しました instead of present?

Accepted Answer

Because the speaker is stating a completed action: “I cleaned the room.”  
- Past form (ました) = “cleaned (already done).”  
- Present/future form (します) would mean “I clean” or “I will clean,” which doesn’t match the context of something already finished.

raikyaku no tame ni heya wo souzisimasita.

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