社: the kanji for company, shrine, society
社 is a JLPT N4 kanji that means company, shrine, society. Below are its readings, 13 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
社 is written in 7 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
社 has 2 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 13 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
シャ (sha)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 会社かいしゃ · kaisha | company |
| 社長しゃちょう · shachō | company president |
| 社員しゃいん · shain | employee |
| 社会しゃかい · shakai | society |
| 本社ほんしゃ · honsha | head office |
| 支社ししゃ · shisha | branch office |
| 入社にゅうしゃ · nyūsha | joining a company |
| 退社たいしゃ · taisha | leaving the office; leaving a company |
| 出社しゅっしゃ · shussha | going to the office |
| 神社じんじゃ · jinja | Shinto shrine |
| 他社たしゃ · tasha | another company |
| 社内しゃない · shanai | in-house; within the company |
やしろ (yashiro)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 社やしろ · yashiro | shrine |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 明日は九時に出社します。Ashita wa kuji ni shussha shimasu.I'll come into the office at nine tomorrow.
- 本社は東京にあります。Honsha wa Tōkyō ni arimasu.The head office is in Tokyo.
- 社長に報告しました。Shachō ni hōkoku shimashita.I reported to the president.
- 彼は去年入社しました。Kare wa kyonen nyūsha shimashita.He joined the company last year.
- 今日は六時に退社します。Kyō wa rokuji ni taisha shimasu.I'll leave the office at six today.
- 週末に神社へ行きました。Shūmatsu ni jinja e ikimashita.I went to a shrine on the weekend.
Questions about 社
How many strokes does 社 have?
社 is written in 7 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 社?
The on readings are sha (シャ). The kun readings are yashiro (やしろ).
Does 退社 mean leaving the office or quitting?
Both. 退社 (taisha) can mean leaving the office for the day, as in 六時に退社します, or leaving a company for good. Context tells you which. To be clear about quitting, people also say 退職 (taishoku).
What JLPT level is 社?
N4. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.
About the JLPT level
The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N4 is designed to match the former Level 3.
More JLPT N4 kanji
Work and money
Executive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.
Sources
- Jōyō Kanji Table (常用漢字表), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2010: readings and special readings of 社
- JLPT Frequently Asked Questions, The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services: how current levels match the former levels
- Stroke order diagrams are based on KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. The diagrams on this page are shared under the same license.