The Meaning of yakuba [役場] In Japanese

役場
やくば
Romaji: yakuba N5

What does 役場 mean?

Translation and Meaning

town hall, municipal government office

Definition

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.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

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.

Composition

  • 役 — duty, service; in public administration, denotes official functions
  • 場 — place; location or site
  • Together, 役場 refers to a site where public duties are carried out, i.e., the local government office

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: think of 役 as ‘duty’ and 場 as ‘place’—a place where duties are performed; picture a clerk at a small town hall performing essential civic tasks, which helps recall that 役場 means the town/village government office.

Variations

  • 市役所 (shiyakusho) — city hall; larger city administration
  • 町役場 (machiyakuba) — town hall; municipal office of a town
  • 村役場 (murayakuba) — village hall; municipal office of a village
  • 役所 (yakusho) — general government office; more common in everyday speech

Example Phrases

  • 今日は 役場で 住民票を 確認して 発行申請を 出しました。
    Kyou wa yakuba de juuminhyou o kakunin shite hakko shinsei o dashimashita.
    Today at the city hall I confirmed the resident registration and submitted the issuance application.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • 役場で (yakuba de) – at the city hall
    • 住民票を (juuminhyou o) – resident registration
    • 確認して (kakunin shite) – confirming
    • 発行申請を (hakko shinsei o) – issuance application
    • 出しました (dashimashita) – submitted
    The local government office is 「役場」; here, で marks location, so it means ‘at the city hall’.
役場