(しちょうそん)

しちょうそん
noun
municipalities; cities, towns, and villages
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)市町村(しちょうそん)通知(つうち)()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)(かず)()っている。
The number of local governments is decreasing due to municipal mergers.
(かく)市町村(しちょうそん)独自(どくじ)子育(こそだ)支援(しえん)制度(せいど)(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 () (city), (ちょう) (town), and (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)(ちょう) (mayor of a municipality)
  • 市町村(しちょうそん)役場(やくば) (municipal office)
  • (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.