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Kotomora

社

company, firm, office, association, shrine

JLPTN5StatusJōyō · grade 2FrequencyTop 100Strokes7

Readings

On'yomi

  • シャ

Kun'yomi

  • やしろ

Nanori

  • こそ

Meaning

社 centers on a structured group of people gathered around a shared purpose or place: a company, firm, association, or shrine. The shrine sense is the original concrete gathering place, while the modern organizational meanings extend that idea to secular institutions.

Most common words using 社

24 of 885
  • 会社かいしゃ
    N5

    company; corporation; firm

  • 社会しゃかい
    N4

    society; public; community; the world

  • 社長しゃちょう
    N5

    company president; manager; director

  • 株式会社かぶしきがいしゃ

    stock company; corporation; kabushiki kaisha; KK

  • 社員しゃいん
    N4

    company employee

  • 神社じんじゃ
    N5

    Shinto shrine

  • 本社ほんしゃ
    N4

    head office; main office; headquarters; parent company

  • 入社にゅうしゃ
    N3

    joining a company; getting a job with a company; starting work at a company

  • 自社じしゃ

    one's company; company one works for

  • 同社どうしゃ

    the same company; the said firm

  • 社内しゃない

    within a company; in-house

  • 他社たしゃ

    another company; other company

  • 子会社こがいしゃ

    subsidiary (company)

  • 当社とうしゃ

    this company; this firm

  • 社交しゃこう
    N1

    social life; social intercourse

  • 弊社へいしゃ
    N1

    our company; our firm

  • 退社たいしゃ

    resignation; leaving office

  • 社名しゃめい

    company name; name of a company

  • 出社しゅっしゃ
    N1

    going to work (e.g. in the morning); coming to work

  • 商社しょうしゃ
    N2

    trading company

  • 支社ししゃ
    N1

    branch office

  • 靖国神社やすくにじんじゃ

    Yasukuni Shrine

  • 大社たいしゃ

    grand shrine; famous shrine

  • 結社けっしゃ

    association; society

Explore all words using 社 →

Study

Etymology

社 combines 示 (altar, deity) with 土 (earth), originally referring to an earthen altar or shrine dedicated to a local deity. Over time, the meaning broadened to include any organized group or association, and later to modern companies and firms.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 示 suggests an altar or sacred place, and the right side 土 is earth. Picture a community gathering around an earthen shrine, which later becomes any organized group like a company or association.

Reading mnemonic

For シャ, imagine a company shrine where employees share (シャ) tea together: share -> シャ, and the shared ritual strengthens the group bond.