郵局 / 邮局
In Cantonese, "post office" is expressed as 郵局 / 邮局. Wiktionary also lists 郵政局 / 邮政局.
Meaning: place (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese |
|---|
| 郵局 / 邮局 |
| 郵政局 / 邮政局 |
While both are formal, 郵政局 / 邮政局 can be specifically used when referring to the governmental aspect of postal services or a larger postal institution.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 郵局 / 邮局 is composed of 郵 (mail/post) and 局 (office/bureau/局).
Which one should you use?
郵政局 / 邮政局 is a more formal or official term that often refers to the postal service bureau or the postal administration.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guangdong, the most common term for post office is 郵局 / 邮局.
Did you know?
- The word 局 can also mean a 'trap' or 'scheme' in Cantonese slang, such as in the phrase 設局 'to set a trap'.
- The character 郵 originally referred to a relay station for horses and messengers during the imperial era of China.
- The character 局 used in 郵局 also means 'game' or 'round' in the context of gambling or sports.
Examples in context
- 我想寄呢個包裹，附近有冇郵局？(ngo5 soeng2 gei3 ni1 go3 baau1 gwok3, fu6 gan6 jau5 mou5 jau4 guk6?)I need to mail this package, is there a post office nearby?
- 郵局早上九點開門 (jau4 guk6 zou2 soeng6 gau2 dim2 hoi1 mun4)The post office opens at 9:00 AM.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “post office” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
