60649
I have seen the term used in reference to Tokyo. What would the term be for a
foreign capital？
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2018-08-02T18:21:54.570
60641
2018-08-03T06:26:16.127
2018-08-02T20:56:40.117
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question
word-choice words
都内 is reserved for the capital Tokyo, what term is used to mean a foreign capital city?
What people usually imagine as the capital city is only eastern 23 wards of
東京都, while 都内 means the whole area of 東京都, including some remote mountainous
regions (also see [my previous
post](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/50204/7810)).

This term **都【と】** is not used because of the fact that an area is the capital
of a state (strictly speaking, [Tokyo is not the _de jure_ capital of
Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_of_Japan)), but because it is a
first-level administrative division that is distinguished from other provinces
by a special classification of "Capital" or "Metropolis".

As far as I know, Bangkok, Thailand, is the only region Japanese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs officially translates as バンコク都
([example](https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/info/pchazardspecificinfo_2015T075.html)).
Besides, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
([example](http://open_jicareport.jica.go.jp/618/618/618_109_12270278.html))
and Vientiane, Laos
([example](http://open_jicareport.jica.go.jp/618/618/618_109_12270278.html))
are often referred to as 都. In these cases, the extent of region can be
formally called 都内 and the residents 都民, except that not many people
practically use 都 for any foreign region in ordinary speech.

Most of special capital areas in other countries call themselves "City", thus
translated 市. Washington DC is 特別区, Jakarta is 特別州, and so on.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-03T06:26:16.127
60649
2018-08-03T06:26:16.127
7810
60641
answer