bureau · situation

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 局 appears in words about an office or a situation; its on-reading is きょく.
• Basic usage: 郵便局(ゆうびんきょく) means a post office, while 結局(けっきょく) means in the end or ultimately.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A post office as a place and a word introducing the outcome
  • 郵便局で means at the post office, identifying where a letter is mailed. Here 局 is read きょく.
  • 結局 introduces the final outcome, such as buying nothing after visiting several shops or returning to the first proposal after deliberation. The whole word is read けっきょく, with a small っ.