局 means “bureau, office”

きょく · kyoku

Also: board, affair

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

つぼね

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キョク

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 3 · 7 strokes

The story

Picture a small window (口) set into the corner of a building: the counter of a public office. 局 runs the 郵便局 post office and the テレビ局 TV station, and 結局, "in the end", first meant finishing a game of go.

Used in 郵便局 (yuubinkyoku, post office), 結局 (kekkyoku, in the end), and 薬局 (yakkyoku, pharmacy)

More from At the Office

• 職 job
• 役 role
• 備 prepare
• 席 seat
• 労 labor
• 号 number
• 具 tool
• 勤 work for
• 部 part
• 約 promise
• 務 duty
• 機 machine

Learn 局 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.