クレーム

1950 is an early printed point for クレーム in the English claim sense. Seisenban Nihon Kokugo Daijiten cites Takada Tamotsu's Daini Burari Hyotan, where クレイム appears in a trade context about defective quality. Digital Daijisen defines クレーム first as a claim for damages in a sales contract, and second as 苦情 or objection. The same Japanese spelling also has a separate French crème entry meaning クリーム. The borrowing began in business and trade after World War II, where English claim meant a demand based on contract rights. By 1959, Seisenban cites Mishima Yukio's Kyoko no Ie for クレームをつける about goods, showing the move from compensation demand to consumer complaint. Related Japanese words include 苦情, 文句, 異議, and the less common コンプレイント. Customer-service manuals later made クレーム対応 a set phrase. Modern Japanese クレーム usually means a complaint to a company, store, school, or office. English "claim" mainly means a statement, a legal right, or a demand for money; "complaint" is closer to Japanese クレーム in customer service. In English, "I made a claim" can sound like insurance or law, while "I complained" matches the everyday Japanese verb phrase. Example: 店にクレームを入れた.