会館

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 会館(かいかん) is a hall or building where people gather for events or activities.
• Basic usage: It is used for the venue of a local event or for parts of the building, such as its entrance.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Scale of the space
  • 会議室 is a room for meetings. 会館 names a building that may contain such rooms, so the words do not describe the same spatial unit.
• The homophone 開館
  • 開館 is also read かいかん, but means opening a facility or inaugurating it. Distinguish it from 会館, the building.