役場

What it means

What does 役場 mean? It designates the local municipal government office in Japan, the building or bureau where residents obtain services and local administration is conducted for towns and villages; it is not used for larger cities, which use 市役所.

Main meanings

• Local municipal government office for towns and villages, where civil services and administrative procedures are carried out.
• Used in compound forms like 町役場 and 村役場 to indicate the specific locality's office.
• Compared with 市役所, 役場 emphasizes smaller municipalities rather than large cities.

How to use it

Used in formal and administrative contexts to refer to the local government office in towns and villages; commonly appears in official documents, signage, and municipal communications, and is often paired with town or village identifiers (町役場, 村役場). It is not used for cities, where 市役所 is the standard term.