Tokyo

American  

[toh-kee-oh, taw-kyaw] / ˈtoʊ kiˌoʊ, ˈtɔ kjɔ /

Or Tokio

noun

1. a seaport in and the capital of Japan, on Tokyo Bay: one of the world's largest cities; destructive earthquake and fire 1923; signing of the Japanese surrender document aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, September 2, 1945.

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Tokyo British  

/ ˈtəʊkjəʊ, -kɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. the capital of Japan, a port on SE Honshu on Tokyo Bay (an inlet of the Pacific): part of the largest conurbation in the world (the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area) of over 35 million people; major industrial centre and the chief cultural centre of Japan. Pop (city proper): 8 025 538 (2002 est)

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Tokyo Cultural  

1. Capital of Japan and largest city in the country, located on the island of Honshu at the head of Tokyo Bay; the administrative, financial, educational, and cultural center of Japan.

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Discover More

The world's largest city, Tokyo is also among its most modern.

It was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World War II.

Tokyo became the capital of the Japanese Empire in 1868 when Japan began a period of intensive modernization.

Other Word Forms

• Tokyoite
  noun

Example Sentences

Maiko Asahi and her family are visiting from Tokyo to watch Japan play in Dallas, and told the BBC that tipping is not something they do back home.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

The chapters are compact, the writing is brisk and direct, and momentous events—from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 to the Allied firebombing of Tokyo during World War II—regularly punctuate the storytelling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

A planned 2026 London launch, where road testing is already underway, would be its first international commercial market, with Tokyo still in early-stage testing.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

In Taipei, security officials have rejected Beijing’s rationale for the inspections, saying that the talks between Tokyo and Manila don’t affect Taiwan’s separate arrangements with each of those nations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

In this revised version, a hydrogen bomb test awakens a giant fire-breathing mutant, which then rises out of the sea and marches into Tokyo.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin