Kaisha is the Japanese word for ‘company’, explained

What does “kaisha” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kaisha” normally to mean ‘company’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is quite often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kaisha” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

Definition and meanings of “kaisha”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kaisha”.

• kaisha – 会社 (かいしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘company’ or ‘corporation’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a group working together to make money. So, its usage is similar to those of the English nouns above.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kaisha in kanji

The kanji expression of “kaisha” consists of the following two characters:

• 会 : a kanji character widely used to express the act of meeting.
• 社 : a kanji character used to mean a place for praying or a place people get gathered.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kaisha” literally means a ‘place where people get gathered and meet each other’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A company or corporation is, anyway, a place where people get gathered, meet each other, and work together for their business.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kaisha” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “kaisha” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “company” in Japanese

kyou boku wa kaisha ni it ta – 今日僕は会社に行った (きょうぼくはかいしゃにいった)

Today I went to the company.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “today” in Japanese.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “kaisha” to say where “boku” went today. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, “to”.
• it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “kaisha”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “kaisha ni it ta”, which means ‘went to the company’ in Japanese. This expression should be learnt together with its present tense form, “kaisha ni iku”. When we want to say “company” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “kaisha”

kare wa kaisha wo yame ta – 彼は会社を辞めた (かれはかいしゃをやめた)

He left the company.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.

• wo

  – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kaisha” to make the object word in the sentence.

• yame – 辞め (やめ) : one conjugation of the verb, “

  yameru

  “, which means ‘to quit’ or ‘to leave’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is another typical usage of “kaisha”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “kaisha wo yame ta”, which means ‘to have left the company’. This expression should be learnt together with its present tense form, “kaisha wo yameru”.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kaisha” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kaisha – 会社 (かいしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘company’ or ‘corporation’ in Japanese. This word can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘place where people get gathered and meet each other’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A company is, anyway, a place where people get gathered, meet each other, and work together for their business.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

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