Shachou is the Japanese word for ‘company president’, explained

What does “shachou” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “shachou” to mean ‘company president’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it 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 understand “shachou” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shachou”
• What does “shachou” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “company president” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “shachou”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shachou”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shachou”.

• shachou – 社長 (しゃちょう) : a noun meaning ‘company president’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

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

What does “shachou” literally mean in Japanese?

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

• 社 : can be considered as the shortened version of “会社” which means a ‘company’ in Japanese.
• 長 : a kanji character sometimes used to mean a ‘leader’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that the formed noun literally means the ‘leader of a company’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning.

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 the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shachou” through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “shachou” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “shachou” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “shachou”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence.

Example #2: another usage of “shachou”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “shachou” to say what the speaker wants to be.
• nari – なり : one conjugation of the verb, “naru”, which means ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or just ‘to be’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• tai – たい : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its desire form. In the example, this is used after “nari” to make its desire form, “nari tai”, which means ‘to want to be’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “shachou”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ni”, to become the object in the sentence. Anyway, when we want to mean a ‘company president’ in Japanese, this noun is always a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “shachou” 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.

• shachou – 社長 (しゃちょう) : a noun meaning ‘company president’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean the ‘leader of a company’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.