社

社 (Kangxi radical 113, 示+3, 7 strokes, cangjie input 戈火土 (IFG), four-corner 3421₀, composition ⿰礻土)

• 𠶈 䀅

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 839, character 26
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24631
• Dae Jaweon: page 1257, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2386, character 7
• Unihan data for U+793E
• Unihan data for U+FA4C

Historical forms of the character 社
Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)		Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 示 (“god; deity”) + 土 (“soil”)

Probably related to 土 (OC *l̥ʰaːʔ, “earth, soil”); Takashima (2004) considers them an etymological doublet.

社

1. (historical) god of the soil

   • 共工氏之霸九州也，其子曰后土，能平九州，故祀以為社。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     共工氏之霸九州也，其子曰后土，能平九州，故祀以为社。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Gònggōng shì zhī bà Jiǔzhōu yě, qí zǐ yuē hòutǔ, néng píng Jiǔzhōu, gù sì yǐwéi shè. [Pinyin]

     Hou-tu, a son of the line of Gong-gong, that swayed the nine provinces, who was able to reduce them all to order, and was sacrificed to as the spirit of the ground.

2. (historical) altar for offering sacrifices to the god of the soil

   • 昭子曰：「日有食之，天子不舉，伐鼓於社，諸侯用幣於社，伐鼓於朝，禮也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     昭子曰：「日有食之，天子不举，伐鼓于社，诸侯用币于社，伐鼓于朝，礼也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zhāozǐ yuē: “Rì yǒu shí zhī, tiānzǐ bùjǔ, fágǔ yú shè, zhūhóu yòng bì yú shè, fágǔ yú cháo, lǐ yě.” [Pinyin]

     Zhaozi said, "On the occurrence of an eclipse, the son of Heaven does not have his table fully spread, and causes the drum to be beaten at the altar of the land, while the princes of States present offerings of silk at that altar, and cause the drum to be beaten in their courts. This is the rule".

3. (historical) festival for offering sacrifices to the god of the soil

   春社  ―  chūnshè  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

4. (historical) to offer sacrifices to the god of the soil

   • 越翼日戊午，乃社于新邑。牛一，羊一，豕一。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd century BCE

     Yuè yìrì wùwǔ, nǎi shè yú xīnyì. Niú yī, yáng yī, shǐ yī. [Pinyin]

     and on the morrow, Wu-wu, at the altar to the spirit of the land in the new city, he sacrificed a bull, a ram, and a boar.

5. (historical) an ancient grass-root administrative unit
6. organized body; society; association

   結社／结社  ―  jiéshè  ―  to form an association

   報社／报社  ―  bàoshè  ―  newspaper publisher; newspaper office

7. agency (used for certain agencies that provide services)

   旅行社  ―  lǚxíngshè  ―  travel agency

8. a surname: She
9. (in Vietnam) commune (third level division along with wards and commune-level towns)

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 社)

• Go-on: じゃ (ja)
• Kan-on: しゃ (sha, Jōyō)
• Kun: やしろ (yashiro, 社, Jōyō); こそ (koso, 社)
• Nanori: あり (ari); こそ (koso); たか (taka)

From Middle Chinese 社 (MC dzyaeX).

• (Tokyo) しゃ​ [sháꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])[2] as a noun
• IPA^(key): [ɕa̠]

社(しゃ) • (-sha) 

1. Short for 会社 (kaisha): company, co.

   毎(まい)日新(にちしん)聞(ぶん)社(しゃ) ― Mainichi Shinbun-sha ― The Mainichi Newspapers [Company]

   Note: when in parentheses, it is an abbreviation of 社団法人 (shadan hōjin), a type of incorporated association.

2. (historical, Taiwan under Japanese rule, specifically) aboriginal settlement

   Coordinate term: 庄 (shō, “Han settlement”)

• 株(かぶ) (kabu, “incorporated, inc.”)
• 有(ゆう) (yū, “limited, Ltd.”)

From Middle Chinese 社 (MC dzyaeX).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰa̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [사]

Wikisource 社 (eumhun 모일 사 (moil sa))

1. Hanja form^? of 사 (“company”). [noun]
2. Hanja form^? of 사 (“social”). [affix]

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

社: Hán Nôm readings: xã

1. rural commune (administrative subdivision of Vietnam)

• 市社 (thị xã)