The Meaning of yuubinkyoku [郵便局] In Japanese

郵便局
ゆうびんきょく
Romaji: yuubinkyoku N5

What does 郵便局 mean?

Translation and Meaning

post office, postal office

Definition

What does 郵便局 mean? 郵便局 (yuubinkyoku) is a facility or branch where postal services are carried out, including accepting and sending mail and parcels, selling postage and related products, and handling PO boxes and basic logistical services.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • The physical building where customers go to buy stamps and send packages.
  • An administrative branch of the national or private postal service that handles sorting and local distribution.
  • A service counter or postal outlet within larger institutions (e.g., inside a store or government building).
  • By metonymy, the local postal operation or staff responsible for mail in an area.

Origin

The modern concept of a national postal network in Japan was established in the early Meiji period; a government postal system was launched in 1871 under reformer Maejima Hisoka, evolving into the nationwide network of post offices that later became Japan Post and its successors, with buildings and local branches spreading alongside modernization and increased communication needs.

Composition

  • 郵 — relates to postal dispatch and communication (conveys the idea of sending mail).
  • 便 — originally means convenience or transport; in compounds it often denotes mail or postal service.
  • 局 — bureau, office, or administrative branch.
Combined, the characters describe an office (局) for mail/dispatch and postal services (郵 + 便).

Usage

Used in addresses, directions, signage and everyday requests involving mail; appropriate in both formal and casual speech when referring to the place or branch that handles mail and parcels, and often appears in business contexts (e.g., sending registered mail) as well as when asking for location or hours of operation.
💡 Tips
Remember it as ‘you-bin-kyoku’ — imagine ‘you’ve been’ given a parcel at the kyoku (office) to pick up; the word groups ‘mail’ and ‘office’ together.

Variations

  • 郵便 (yuubin) — mail, post
  • ポスト (posuto) — postbox (drop-off), not the office itself
  • 局 (kyoku) — office/bureau (colloquial abbreviation when context is clear)
  • 日本郵便 (Nippon Yūbin) — Japan Post, the national postal company

Example Phrases

  • この 書類 を 郵便局 に 届けて ください。
    Kono shorui o yuubinkyoku ni todokete kudasai.
    Please deliver this document to the post office.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • 書類 (shorui) – document
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 郵便局 (yuubinkyoku) – post office
    • に (ni) – destination particle
    • 届けて (todokete) – deliver
    • ください (kudasai) – please
    Core grammar: the verb 届ける (to deliver) uses the te-form 届けて to request action with ください; the base kanji for the verb is 「届け」.
  • 近くの郵便局で、切手を買って手紙を出した。
    Chikaku no yūbinkyoku de, kitte o katte tegami o dashita.
    I bought stamps and sent a letter at the nearby post office.
    Lista:
    • 近くの (chikaku no) – nearby
    • 郵便局で (yūbinkyoku de) – at the post office
    • 切手を (kitte o) – stamps
    • 買って (katte) – buy (te-form)
    • 手紙を (tegami o) – letter
    • 出した (dashita) – sent
    Core grammar: 「で」 marks location; 「切手」 is the object of 「買う」, and the te-form 「買って」 links to 「出した」.
郵便局