How to Write 社 (shè) — Meaning “Society / Agency / Altar”

Picture a society (社) gathering around an altar (礻) built on earth (土). This visual helps you link the component shapes to the character's meaning of society or agency.

Write the left radical 礻 first, starting with its dot and then the horizontal stroke; keep it narrow. Then add the right part 土, making the top horizontal short and the bottom horizontal long. A common mistake is making the left part too wide, which ruins the balance.

All three share the radical 礻, but their right parts differ: 社 has 土 (earth), 礼 has a hook-like shape (乚), and 祀 has 巳 (a snake-like form). 社 means society or agency, while 礼 means ceremony and 祀 means sacrifice.

社 appears in common words like 社会 (shè huì, society) and 报社 (bào shè, newspaper office). It is also used in 旅行社 (lǚ xíng shè, travel agency). Historically it referred to a village altar for earth gods, and today it often denotes an organization or group.

Common words containing 社 include: 社会 (shè huì) — Society; 报社 (bào shè) — newspaper office; 旅行社 (lǚ xíng shè) — travel agency.