The Meaning of shiten [支店] In Japanese

支店
してん
Romaji: shiten N4

What does 支店 mean?

Translation and Meaning

branch office, branch store

Definition

支店 means a branch office or branch store of a company, bank, or organization, located away from the main headquarters to manage local operations.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • branch office or branch store of a company, bank, or organization
  • regional or local office serving customers or operations
  • a secondary location within a retail chain or corporate network

Etymology

支 and 店 are Chinese characters used in Japanese; they combine in a Sino-Japanese compound. The on’yomi readings shi and ten merge to form shiten (shi-ten).

Composition

  • 支: branch; to support; to hold up
  • 店: shop; store
  • Combination: the branch of a company or bank, i.e., a store or office that is part of a larger organization

Usage

Used in formal business and institutional Japanese, finance, logistics, and retail contexts; appropriate for written communication, reports, contracts, and everyday speech when referring to a local branch; the term is more common than ‘branch office’ for retail or corporate networks.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a tree branch (支) supporting a shop (店); picturing a storefront hanging from a branch helps recall that 支店 is a branch of a company.

Variations

  • 支社 (shisha) — branch office of a corporate group
  • 本店 (honten) — head office or flagship store
  • 支店網 (shitenmō) — network of branches

Example Phrases

  • 今日は 支店で 書類を 出して 手続き が 終わった。
    kyou wa shiten de shorui o dashite tetsuzuki ga owatta.
    Today I submitted the documents at the branch and finished the procedures.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 支店で (shiten de) – at the branch
    • 書類を (shorui o) – documents (object)
    • 出して (dashite) – submitted
    • 手続き (tetsuzuki) – procedures
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 終わった (owatta) – finished
    Aqui, o 「で」 indica o local da ação; 「支店で」 = at the branch.
支店