How to Say "Tokyo" in Japanese

東京

Tōkyō[to̞ːkʲo̞ː]

東京 (Tōkyō) is the Japanese word for Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

Meaning: capital of Japan (name)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of two kanji: 東, meaning 'east' and 京, meaning 'capital'.

Tōkyō

The Japanese name for the city was borrowed from a Vietnamese term, Đông Kinh, which was used to describe Hanoi as an 'eastern capital'.
The name 東京 is a direct mirror of 京都, the former capital. While 京都 means 'capital city', 東京 specifically means 'eastern capital'.
While 東京 is the city name, the metropolitan area is often referred to as 首都圏, meaning 'capital region', to distinguish the city center from the sprawling suburbs.

東京駅なう。
I'm at Tokyo Station now.
This sentence shows how to use 東京 to indicate a current location at a station.
Tatoeba #881837 by arihato, translation #881854 by CN
彼は東京にいます。
He is in Tokyo.
This sentence demonstrates using 東京 to indicate someone is located within the city.
Tatoeba #101779 by bunbuku, translation #301914 by CC
私は東京出身です。
I'm from Tokyo.
This sentence shows how to express one's place of origin using 東京.
Tatoeba #154866 by small_snow, translation #259673 by CN
「すみません、東京駅はどこですか？」
Excuse me, where is Tokyo Station?
「日本には、東京という美しい都市があります」
In Japan, there is a beautiful city called Tokyo.
331 more sentences on Tatoeba

Himari and Kenta are talking about their travel plans.

陽葵 Himari

今度の休みは東京に行きますか？
Kondo no yasumi wa Tōkyō ni ikimasu ka?
Are you going to Tokyo during the next break?
健太 Kenta

はい、東京で友達に会いたいです。
Hai, Tōkyō de tomodachi ni aitai desu.
Yes, I want to meet a friend in Tokyo.
陽葵 Himari

いいですね。東京はどこがおすすめですか？
Ii desu ne. Tōkyō wa doko ga osusume desu ka?
That's nice. Where do you recommend in Tokyo?
健太 Kenta

渋谷か新宿がいいと思いますよ。
Shibuya ka Shinjuku ga ii to omoimasu yo.
I think Shibuya or Shinjuku would be good.

Sources

Wiktionary, “tokyo” translations and entries 東京, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 東京, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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