とうきょう
Tōkyōcity name
Tokyo in hiragana is とうきょう (Tōkyō). Both the ō in とう and the ō in きょう are long, so the English spelling "Tokyo" drops the macrons. The city is the capital of Japan.
The area around Tokyo is called かんとう (Kantō), and a person from the city is a とうきょうじん (Tōkyōjin).
Meaning: Tokyo (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as "toh-kyoh" with both vowels held a little longer, not as "TOH-key-oh".
When do people say it?
Before 1868 the city was called えど (Edo). The name とうきょう was adopted when it became the capital.
Did you know?
- The written name 東京 means "eastern capital".
Examples in context
- とうきょうはにほんのしゅとです。Tōkyō wa Nihon no shuto desu.Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
Example conversation
Ann asks her friend Jun about his hometown.
- Annじゅんさんはどこにすんでいますか。Jun-san wa doko ni sunde imasu ka.Where do you live, Jun.
- Junとうきょうにすんでいます。Tōkyō ni sunde imasu.I live in Tokyo.
- Annいいですね、いってみたいです。Ii desu ne, itte mitai desu.Nice, I would like to visit.
