会社

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 父は会社で働いています。▶ —
   My father works at a company.
2. 会社まで電車で行きます。▶ —
   I take the train to the company.

Collocations

Mnemonic

かいしゃ — 会社, Sino-Japanese. Open the two kanji: 会 (gather) + 社 (group / shrine) = 'a social unit where people gather = a company'. The Korean reading hoesa matches character for character. Chinese flips the order to 公司 gōngsī ── same idea, reversed arrangement. In Japanese society 会社 is more than a workplace ── even as 終身雇用 shuushin koyou (lifetime employment) has weakened in 21st-century Japan, a slang word like 社畜 shachiku ('company livestock') shows how deeply corporate identity still anchors social discourse. The 社 family reveals the depth ── 社長 shachou (president), 社員 shain (employee), 社会 shakai (society), 神社 jinja (Shinto shrine). 社 originally named a mound where rites were held ── a sacred gathering place. Society and the company are later extensions of the same idea. You meet these characters again in Mandarin Roots, as 会 and 社.

Quick check

1. Social phenomenon captured by 社畜?

   • Workers tied to the company, losing personal time/freedom (self-mocking)
   • A corporate animal mascot
   • A company-run farm
   • Office pets