LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N3Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Heisha and onsha meaning: 弊社へいしゃ, 御社おんしゃ, 貴社きしゃ — whose company is it?

弊社へいしゃ (heisha) means "my company, said humbly," and 御社おんしゃ (onsha) means "your company, said respectfully" — so mixing them up in a job interview quietly says the opposite of what you meant.

Both words are "company" plus a prefix, and the prefix tells you whose company it is. That's the whole trick. Once you see the pattern, you also get 貴社きしゃ, 当社とうしゃ, and a handful of other words for free, and you'll know which one to reach for when someone across the table is deciding whether to hire you.

The basics

What does heisha (弊社へいしゃ) mean?

弊社へいしゃ (へいしゃ) means "our company" or "my company," and it lowers you slightly. The character 弊へい carries the sense of "poor" or "humble," so you're literally calling your own company a little humble in front of the other person. That's the same logic as other humble keigo: you go down, they go up.

弊社へいしゃの田中たなかがご連絡れんらくいたします。 — A person from our company will contact you. (business, talking to a client) 弊社へいしゃの営業時間えいぎょうじかんは九時くじから六ろく時じです。 — Our business hours are nine to six. (business, phone or email to an outsider)

The key point: 弊社へいしゃ is only for your own company, and only when you're talking to someone outside it. Say it to a colleague at your own office and it sounds like you're doing a business-etiquette impression.

What does onsha (御社おんしゃ) mean?

御社おんしゃ (おんしゃ) means "your company," and it raises the other side. The 御お is an honorific prefix, the same family as お and ご. It is the word you use for the other person's company when you are speaking.

御社おんしゃの企業理念きぎょうりねんに共感きょうかんしました。 — I really resonate with your company's philosophy. (job interview, spoken) 御社おんしゃのサービスを拝見はいけんしました。 — I've looked at your company's services. (spoken, business meeting)

Notice that it doesn't matter whether you work there yet. In a job interview you are still an outsider, so their company is 御社おんしゃ, even though you hope to be "one of us" soon.

What's the difference between onsha (御社おんしゃ) and kisha (貴社きしゃ)?

They mean the same thing, "your company," but 御社おんしゃ is for speaking and 貴社きしゃ (きしゃ) is for writing. Use 御社おんしゃ in the interview room, and 貴社きしゃ on the résumé, in the application form, and in business email.

貴社きしゃの求人きゅうじんを拝見はいけんし、応募おうぼいたしました。 — I saw your company's job posting and am applying. (written, cover letter or email) 御社おんしゃを志望しぼうした理由りゆうは、海外かいがいの顧客こきゃくと仕事しごとができるからです。 — The reason I applied to your company is that I can work with overseas customers. (spoken, interview)

There's a practical reason for the split. 貴社きしゃ is pronounced きしゃ, exactly like 記者きしゃ (reporter), 汽車きしゃ (steam train), and 帰社きしゃ (returning to the office). On paper the kanji settle it, but out loud a listener has to guess, so speech uses 御社おんしゃ instead. It's a small thing, but it explains a rule that otherwise looks arbitrary.

Which word goes with which situation?

Here's the whole family in one table. Read it left to right: whose company, then whether you say it or write it.

Word Reading Whose company Mostly spoken or written Feel
弊社へいしゃ へいしゃ Yours (humble) Both Business, to outsiders
御社おんしゃ おんしゃ Theirs Spoken Respectful
貴社きしゃ きしゃ Theirs Written Respectful, formal
当社とうしゃ とうしゃ Yours (neutral) Both, often written Neutral, official
うち / うちの会社かいしゃ うち Yours Spoken Casual

Beyond the basics

Where does 当社とうしゃ (tō (tsha) fit in?

当社とうしゃ (とうしゃ) also means "our company," but without the humility. It is neutral: it points at "this company" as a fact, not as something you're lowering. You'll see it in terms of service, notices, and company websites, and you'll hear it inside a company or in a formal speech.

当社とうしゃは個人情報こじんじょうほうを適切てきせつに管理かんりします。 — Our company handles personal information appropriately. (written, privacy policy)

If you're not sure whether to say 弊社へいしゃ or 当社とうしゃ to a customer, 弊社へいしゃ is the safer, more polite choice. 当社とうしゃ is not rude, but it doesn't bow to the listener the way 弊社へいしゃ does.

What do people say in casual conversation?

うち, or うちの会社かいしゃ. It literally means "my home" and stretches to "my group," so it works for company, school, and family.

うちの会社かいしゃ、来月らいげつから新あたらしい人ひとが入はいるんだよね。 — A new person is joining our company next month. (casual, friend or coworker) うち、残業ざんぎょう多おおいんだよね。 — There's a lot of overtime where I work. (casual, complaining to a friend)

You'll hear this everywhere, including anime scenes set at an office. It's normal and friendly, and it's completely wrong for an interview.

Are there other words built the same way?

Yes, and this is why the pattern is worth learning instead of memorizing each word. The prefix does the work:

  • 弊へい〜 (humble, mine): 弊社へいしゃ, 弊店へいてん (our shop), 弊へい校こう (our school)
  • 御お〜 (respectful, theirs, mostly spoken): 御社おんしゃ, 御お校こう (your school)
  • 貴たかし〜 (respectful, theirs, written): 貴社きしゃ, 貴校きこう, 貴店きてん

You may also see 小社しょうしゃ (しょうしゃ, "our small company"), which is another humble word for one's own company, most familiar from publishers. You won't need it often. Just recognize it as the same humble family as 弊社へいしゃ.

What should you avoid saying in an interview?

The mistakes are usually not grammar. They are words that make your interviewer feel like a tool. Here are lines that sound wrong even though every word is correct:

御社おんしゃを踏み台ふみだいにして、次つぎは独立どくりつしたいです。 — I want to use your company as a stepping stone and go independent next. (too honest — never say this) 御社おんしゃを土台どだいにして、自分じぶんのスキルを伸のばしたいです。 — I'd like to use your company as a base to grow my own skills. (can sound self-serving to some interviewers)

The second one feels harmless in English, which is exactly the trap. 土台どだいにする ("to make something a foundation") puts their company under your feet. Even without the word 踏み台ふみだい, the listener hears "I'm here to use you." Turn the sentence around so the company is where you give, not where you take:

これまでの経験けいけんを生いかして、御社おんしゃに貢献こうけんしたいです。 — I'd like to use my experience so far to contribute to your company. (interview, safe)

What does 「〜はいかがなものかと思おもいます」 mean?

It is a roundabout way to disagree: "I wonder whether that's really appropriate." いかがなものか is a soft-sounding question that actually means "I doubt it," and 思おもいます keeps it from sounding like an attack.

その進め方すすめかたはいかがなものかと思おもいます。 — I don't think that way of proceeding is appropriate. (polite but sharp, meeting)

Don't be fooled by the mild vocabulary. It's a criticism, and people hear it as one. It fits when you're a senior person raising a concern, and it doesn't fit as an opinion about the interviewer's company. If you need to disagree in a softer, more useful way, see how to disagree politely in Japanese.

Common mistakes

  • Using 弊社へいしゃ for the other company. 弊社へいしゃの事業じぎょうに興味きょうみがあります said to an interviewer means "I'm interested in my own company's business." Use 御社おんしゃ.
  • Using 貴社きしゃ out loud. It isn't wrong, but it sounds like you're reading a letter and it collides with 記者きしゃ. Speak 御社おんしゃ, write 貴社きしゃ.
  • Saying 御社おんしゃさん. 御社おんしゃ is already honorific. Adding さん doubles up, and although you'll hear it in real offices, it's not something to say in an interview.
  • Saying うち about the company you're applying to. うち means "my side," so うちの会社かいしゃ for their company is a mismatch. It also sounds casual.
  • Making their company a stepping stone. As above: 踏み台ふみだい and 土台どだいにする sound like you're using them, even if you mean it gently.

If you want the wider set of interview language, job interview phrases in Japanese covers what to say from the greeting to the closing, and business Japanese vocabulary collects the words you'll meet at the desk afterwards. When you're not sure how formal to be with a given person, keigo vs casual Japanese gives a decision guide.

FAQ

Is 御社おんしゃ or 貴社きしゃ more polite? They're the same level of politeness. The difference is the medium: 御社おんしゃ is spoken, 貴社きしゃ is written.

Can I use 弊社へいしゃ when talking to my coworkers? Not normally. 弊社へいしゃ is for talking to people outside your company. Inside, people just say うち or 会社かいしゃ, or 当社とうしゃ in a formal setting.

Should I say 御社おんしゃ even if I'm not hired yet? Yes. Until you join, the interviewer's company is the other party's company, so 御社おんしゃ is correct.

What if I'm a freelancer and have no company? You can say 私わたし or 弊へい事務所じむしょ if you have one. Many freelancers just use 私わたしども or 私わたし. 弊社へいしゃ needs an actual company behind it.

Do Japanese people really use all these words every day? In business, yes, and you'll hear 弊社へいしゃ and 御社おんしゃ constantly on phones and in emails. Friends at a bar say うち. Same person, different room.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 5 and 6 are a pair: the same idea, one word apart.

1. In an interview, you want to say "I'm interested in your company." Which word replaces "your company"?

Show answer

御社おんしゃ — the respectful word for the other party's company, in speech.

2. You're emailing a company to apply for a job. Which word do you write for "your company"?

Show answer

貴社きしゃ — the written form. 御社おんしゃ is for speaking, and 貴社きしゃ for writing.

3. A client calls and you say "Our company will reply by tomorrow." Which word for "our company"?

Show answer

弊社へいしゃ — humble, for your own company when talking to an outsider.

4. Why is 貴社きしゃ usually avoided in speech?

Show answer

It sounds like 記者きしゃ (reporter) and 帰社きしゃ. Spoken Japanese avoids the confusion by using 御社おんしゃ instead.

5. An interviewer asks about your plans, and you say 弊社へいしゃの事業じぎょうに興味きょうみがあります. What did you actually say?

Show answer

"I'm interested in my own company's business." 弊社へいしゃ means your own company. For theirs, 御社おんしゃの事業じぎょうに興味きょうみがあります.

6. Fix it: 御社おんしゃの営業時間えいぎょうじかんは九時くじから六ろく時じです, said by you to a customer about your own office.

Show answer

弊社へいしゃの営業時間えいぎょうじかんは九時くじから六ろく時じです — the customer is the outsider, so your company is 弊社へいしゃ. This is the pair to question 5: same sentence, opposite word.

7. Which is safer in an interview: 御社おんしゃを踏み台ふみだいにして成長せいちょうしたい or これまでの経験けいけんを生いかして御社おんしゃに貢献こうけんしたい?

Show answer

The second one. 踏み台ふみだい (and 土台どだいにする) make their company a tool for you. 貢献こうけんしたい puts you in the giving position.

8. You read 御社おんしゃさん in a coworker's chat. What's the issue?

Show answer

A double honorific. 御社おんしゃ is already respectful. It's heard in real life, but keep it out of an interview.

9. Which one fits a privacy policy on a company's website: 弊社へいしゃ, 当社とうしゃ, or うち?

Show answer

当社とうしゃ — neutral and official, which is what terms and notices use. 弊社へいしゃ is also acceptable, but うち is far too casual.

Practise a short business self-introduction in a trial lesson, calling the other company 御社おんしゃ and your own 弊社へいしゃ, and see where 貴社きしゃ belongs in writing.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

弊社	へいしゃ — our company (humble)
御社	おんしゃ — your company (spoken)
貴社	きしゃ — your company (written)
当社	とうしゃ — our company (neutral, official)
小社	しょうしゃ — our small company (humble)
うち	うち — my side, my company (casual)
志望	しぼう — aspiration, applying for
貢献する	こうけんする — to contribute
踏み台	ふみだい — stepping stone
土台	どだい — foundation, base
理念	りねん — philosophy, principle
営業時間	えいぎょうじかん — business hours
残業	ざんぎょう — overtime
応募する	おうぼする — to apply
いかがなものか	いかがなものか — I wonder if that's appropriate

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including these company words, which come up every time someone starts preparing for a Japanese job interview. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N3 · Read something at this level: JLPT N3 stories with audio

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