(しゃ)

しゃ
suffix, counter
company (counter/suffix)
1. company; firm (suffix)
A suffix attached to indicate a company or business entity.
出版社(しゅっぱんしゃ)(はたら)いている。
I work at a publishing company.
新聞社(しんぶんしゃ)就職(しゅうしょく)した。
I got a job at a newspaper company.
大手(おおて)商社(しょうしゃ)海外(かいがい)にも支店(してん)がある。
Major trading companies have branches overseas too.
2. counter for companies
Used to count the number of companies.
3(しゃ)応募(おうぼ)した。
I applied to three companies.
競合(きょうごう)5(しゃ)分析(ぶんせき)した。
We analyzed five competing companies.
何社(なんしゃ)()けましたか。
How many companies did you apply to?

(しゃ) is used both as a suffix to form company names and as a counter.

AS A SUFFIX:

Combines with nouns to indicate a type of company:

  • 出版社(しゅっぱんしゃ) - publishing company
  • 商社(しょうしゃ) - trading company
  • 会社(かいしゃ) - company (general)
  • 新聞社(しんぶんしゃ) - newspaper company
  • 広告代理店(こうこくだいりてん) uses (てん), not (しゃ)

AS A COUNTER:
COUNTING PATTERN:
1(しゃ) (いっしゃ), 2(しゃ) (にしゃ), 3(しゃ) (さんしゃ)
4(しゃ) (よんしゃ), 5(しゃ) (ごしゃ)...

何社(なんしゃ) - how many companies?

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • (しゃ)応募(おうぼ)する - to apply to ~ companies
  • (しゃ)取引(とりひき)する - to do business with ~ companies