PURPOSE: To obtain the subject compound useful as intermediate of perfume or medicine, etc., in short time, high purity and high yield without using highly excessive alcohol or solvent by reacting alcohol with carboxylic acid in the presence of thionyl chloride of specific amount to said acid.

CONSTITUTION: Carboxylic acid (e.g., acetic acid, propionic acid or butyric acid) is reacted with alcohol (1-6C monohydric alcohol, e.g., methanol, ethanol or isopropanol) to obtain esters in the presence of thionyl chloride of 0.1-0.5 equiv. time, preferably about 0.2 equiv. time to said acid. By said method, esterification reaction is initiated by the presence of catalytic amount of thionyl chloride and further, hydrogen chloride and CO2 derived from thionyl chloride act as acid catalyst and equilibrium reaction of esterification is transferred to forming system, thus esters are quantitatively obtained with only using more than equivalent of alcohol without specially removing generated water.