社宅
しゃたく · shataku · JLPT N1 · noun
house
🏢🏠 社 (company) + 宅 (home) = a home the company provides
社 is short for 会社, company, and 宅 means house or home. A 社宅 is employer-owned or leased housing that staff rent cheaply, a common Japanese workplace perk.
社 — 示 (altar/spirit) + 土 (earth)
Originally referred to the god of the soil and the altar where villagers worshipped it. The 示 component signals ritual or spirits, while 土 means earth, together evoking a community shrine. The meaning later broadened to 'community' and 'society'.