The word 教会 is formed by combining two characters: 教, which carries the core meaning of "teaching" or "doctrine" and by extension "religion", and 会, which means an "assembly", "society", or "organized group". Conceptually, they fuse to denote the entity that emerges from the gathering of people around a shared set of teachings, specifically creating the meaning of "church" or a religious institution as the organized community of believers.