都道府県(とどうふけん)

とどうふけん
noun
prefectures (of Japan); the 47 administrative divisions
geography
1. prefectures; the 47 administrative divisions of Japan
The collective term for Japan's 47 first-level administrative divisions: 1 metropolis (Tokyo-to), 1 territory (Hokkaido), 2 urban prefectures (Osaka-fu, Kyoto-fu), and 43 prefectures (ken).
日本(にほん)には47の都道府県(とどうふけん)がある。
Japan has 47 prefectures.
都道府県(とどうふけん)別(べつ)の人口(じんこう)データを調(しら)べた。
I looked up population data by prefecture.
全(すべ)ての都道府県(とどうふけん)を旅行(りょこう)するのが夢(ゆめ)で、あと三(みっ)つで制覇(せいは)できる。
It's my dream to travel to every prefecture, and I have just three left to complete the set.

The compound combines the four types of first-level administrative divisions in Japan: 都(と) (metropolis: 東京都(とうきょうと)), 道(どう) (circuit, now only 北海道(ほっかいどう)), 府(ふ) (urban prefecture: 大阪府(おおさかふ) and 京都府(きょうとふ)), and 県(けん) (prefecture: the remaining 43).

Common collocations

  • 都道府県(とどうふけん)別(べつ) (by prefecture)
  • 各(かく)都道府県(とどうふけん) (each prefecture)
  • 都道府県(とどうふけん)知事(ちじ) (prefectural governor)
  • 47都道府県(とどうふけん) (all 47 prefectures)

Japanese schoolchildren memorize all 47 都道府県(とどうふけん) and their locations as part of the elementary school curriculum.

Related Words

Related: 住所(じゅうしょ) (address)
Related: 市区町村(しくちょうそん) (municipalities)
Related: 〜区(く) (ward, district)
general
Added 2026.3.1 21:13 · Revised 2026.10.7 10:31
14500/14502_todoufuken