The word 游客 is formed by combining two individual characters, each contributing its core meaning to create a new, composite idea. The first character, 游 (yóu), carries the fundamental sense of "to travel", "to roam", or "to wander". The second character, 客 (kè), essentially means "guest" or "visitor". When joined, they conceptually fuse to depict a "traveling guest", a person who is visiting a place, not as a resident, but for the purpose of leisure or sightseeing, thus perfectly encapsulating the meaning of "tourist".