1.
village office; village hall
The administrative office of a village (村) — the smallest unit of Japanese local government. Handles residence registration, tax, welfare benefits, and other daily administrative services for village residents, paralleling the role of a 市役所 in a city or a 町役場 in a town.
村役場に行く。
I'm going to the village office.
村役場で住民票を受け取った。
I picked up my residence certificate at the village office.
村役場の職員が高齢者の家を訪問して手続きを手伝っている。
Village office staff visit elderly residents' homes to help them with administrative procedures.
Compound of 村 ('village') and 役場 ('public office'). Used specifically for the municipal office of a 村}, one of the three types of basic Japanese local government unit along with cities ({市) and towns (町). Because 村} are small and often rural, the {村役場 tends to be a modest building and the center of daily community life.
USAGE:
- Appears on signs, official forms, and news stories about rural administration, especially reports on depopulated regions and aging communities.
- The word implies a rural or mountainous setting and a close-knit community; city residents would never refer to their local office this way.
- Often paired with verbs like 行く ('to go'), 訪れる ('to visit'), or 申請する ('to apply') in reference to administrative errands.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 村役場に行く: to go to the village office
- 村役場で手続きする: to do paperwork at the village office
- 村役場の職員: village office staff
- 村役場の窓口: village office counter
- 村役場に問い合わせる: to inquire at the village office
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 市役所: city hall — office for a designated city ({市}); noticeably larger and more formal.
- 町役場: town office — parallel term for a town ({町}); same function, intermediate size.
- 区役所: ward office — office for a ward ({区}) within a major city such as Tokyo or Osaka.
- 役場: public office — the generic element, used alone when the type of municipality is already clear.
- 村: village — the municipal unit itself, as distinct from its administrative office.