支店（してん、shiten）
- branch office

The Japanese word 支店 (してん, *shiten*) refers to a "branch office" or "branch store" of a larger company or organization. It's a location that operates under the authority of a main office (headquarters) and provides similar services or sells similar products. The 支店 handles various aspects of the business such as sales, customer service, and sometimes operations like logistics or administration. Essentially, it's an extension of the main business.

⚫︎ 銀行の支店 Translation: Bank branch ⚫︎ 東京に新しい支店を開設する Translation: To open a new branch in Tokyo ⚫︎ 彼は大阪の支店で働いています Translation: He works at the Osaka branch.

You use 支店 when referring to a branch of a company or organization. It's common in business contexts but can also be used in everyday conversation, especially when talking about banking, retail, or other service industries. For example, if you're talking about where you do your banking, you might say, "I go to the 支店 near my house." It's also suitable for writing and formal situations.

⚫︎ The word is typically written with the kanji 支店. ⚫︎ The reading is してん in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no variations in okurigana (the suffix hiragana).

There aren't many direct synonyms for 支店 that are used in daily conversations. However, depending on the context, you might use: ⚫︎ 営業所 (*eigyoujo*) - business office/sales office, which may be a branch. ⚫︎ 店舗 (*tenpo*) - store, which is used for retail branches.

The direct antonym of 支店 isn't a single word, but rather refers to the main or "head" office. You might use: ⚫︎ 本店 (*honten*) - head office/main office.

この会社は全国にたくさんの支店を持っています。 ・Translation: This company has many branches all over the country. ・Explanation: This sentence describes that a company has numerous branches around the nation, thus expanding its business presence.

彼は支店長として、部下をまとめています。 ・Translation: He leads his subordinates as the branch manager. ・Explanation: This sentence explains a person's role in the branch as a manager.

The word 支店 is a compound word. 支 (shi) means "to support" or "to branch off," and 店 (ten) means "store" or "shop". Therefore, the word literally means "branch shop" or "supporting shop." It reflects the function of a 支店 as a supporting location for the larger business.