社
Company
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| しゃ | やしろ | ネ + 土 |
Meaning: Company
There’s this mass pelican grave. Who on earth would kill all the pelicans? You look around, and see a giant building. It’s a local pelican hunting company. They’re obviously responsible for all these pelican graves.
What a terrible company, though. Just think about all the companies you don’t like, and add them to your metaphorical list.
Reading: しゃ
To remember the reading しゃ we use the word “shadow.” – The company is covered by a giant shadow. It’s a giant pelican, come back from the dead. It’s so huge that its shadow covers the entire company in darkness.
Imagine you’re one of the people working at the company. Suddenly it gets dark where you’re eating lunch (outside). That’s because the shadow is so huge, and the pelican is even huger. What a terrifying shadow!
Vocabulary
There’s a lot of words to learn the meanings of before moving on. You can do it, though, as long as you’ve been keeping up with your reviews!
社（やしろ）＝ Shrine
- There are lots of shrines in Japan, so this is a useful one to learn. Interesting how 社 (shrine) became 社 (company) over the course of time!
社内（しゃない）＝ In The Company
- 社 (company) + 内 (inside)
入社（にゅうしゃ）＝ Joining A Company
- 入 (enter) + 社 (company)
支社（ししゃ）＝ Branch Office
- 支 (branch) + 社 (company)
公社（こうしゃ）＝ Public Corporation
- 公 (public) + 社 (company)
本社（ほんしゃ）＝ Head Office
- 本 (origin) + 社 (company)
会社（かいしゃ）＝ Company
- 会 (meet) + 社 (company)
When you know the meaning of these words, the kanji, and the on’yomi, move on to the next kanji!