Recognize 社 in everyday Japanese. Start with its meaning, company, then learn to read it in whole words such as 会社 and 社員.

The idea

Kanji may have Japanese-origin and Chinese-origin readings; learn each with its word. Compare 会社（かいしゃ） and 社員（しゃいん）. 社 has 7 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
会社かいしゃcompany
社員しゃいんcompany employee
社長しゃちょうcompany president

Examples

  • 会社かいしゃまで電車でんしゃで行いきます。I go to the office by train.
  • 午後ごごに会社かいしゃでお茶ちゃを飲のみます。I drink tea at the office in the afternoon.
  • 会社かいしゃの名前なまえをここに書かきます。I write the company’s name here.
  • 社長しゃちょうは名前なまえを書かきます。The company president writes their name.
  • 地下鉄ちかてつで会社かいしゃへ行いきます。I go to the office by subway.
  • 私わたしはこの会社かいしゃの社員しゃいんです。I am an employee of this company.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

会社 is a company; 社員 is an employee and 社長 is its president. Compare the shape of 社 with 土 so you do not confuse them.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 会社 in hiragana.

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    かいしゃ

    会社 is read かいしゃ; it means company. Learn the reading as part of this word.

  2. Write the reading of 社員 in hiragana.

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    しゃいん

    社員 is read しゃいん; it means company employee. Learn the reading as part of this word.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: 会＿（かいしゃ）.

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    社

    社 completes 会社, read かいしゃ; the word means company.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 社 from memory, and read 会社 and 社員 aloud. Then check the readings and meanings.