市町村(しちょうそん)

しちょうそん
noun
municipalities; cities, towns, and villages
formalpoliticsgeography
1. municipalities; cities, towns, and villages
A collective term for the three types of basic local government units in Japan: cities (市), towns (町), and villages (村). Used in administrative, political, and geographical contexts.
全国(ぜんこく)の市町村(しちょうそん)に通知(つうち)を出(だ)した。
A notification was sent to municipalities nationwide.
市町村(しちょうそん)合併(がっぺい)により、自治体(じちたい)の数(かず)が減(へ)っている。
The number of local governments is decreasing due to municipal mergers.
各(かく)市町村(しちょうそん)が独自(どくじ)の子育(こそだ)て支援(しえん)制度(せいど)を設(もう)けている。
Each municipality has established its own childcare support system.

Usage

市町村(しちょうそん) is a compound of 市(し) (city), 町(ちょう) (town), and 村(そん) (village). These are the basic units of local government in Japan, below the prefectural (都道府県(とどうふけん)) level.

Common collocations

  • 市町村(しちょうそん)合併(がっぺい) (municipal merger)
  • 市町村(しちょうそん)長(ちょう) (mayor of a municipality)
  • 市町村(しちょうそん)役場(やくば) (municipal office)
  • 各(かく)市町村(しちょうそん) (each municipality)

Similar words

自治体(じちたい) means local government or municipality in a broader sense and can include prefectures. 市町村(しちょうそん) specifically refers to the three types of basic local units.

Related Words

Synonym: 自治体(じちたい) (local government (broader))
Related: 都道府県(とどうふけん) (prefectures (higher level))
general
Added 2026.3.9 19:27 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
16000/16065_shichouson