掲示板 Forums - 処 vs 所

There are of course different compounds each appears in, such as 処理, 対処, 場所, 事務所 etc.

If you're referring specifically to 処's ところ reading, then XGmpn is correct. It's rare and only appears in a few older words, like お食事処, 酒処 or 見処.

In fact, this reading doesn't even appear on the official joyo list:

処 has multiple meanings in the dictionary: dispose, manage, deal with, sentence, condemn, act, behave, place.

処理 and 対処 are "deal with", yes. But 処分 is much closer to "dispose", 処罰 and 処刑 are from "sentence"/"condemn", while 処女 comes from "place" (originally used to describe a woman living in her home before the marriage).

In short, it differs from word to word. There's a reason all of those are listed... 🙂