government official

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 官 appears in words about public office and government work; its on-reading is かん.
• Basic usage: 官庁（かんちょう） means a government office or agency, while 警官（けいかん） means a police officer.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• An agency and an individual officer
  • The 官庁 contacted about a required filing is the responsible government agency. 官庁が集まる地区 describes an area where government offices are concentrated.
  • In the examples, the person asked for directions and the person directing traffic at an intersection are both 警官. Both words contain 官, but 警官 refers to a person rather than an agency.