市区町村(しくちょうそん)

しくちょうそん
noun
municipalities; cities, wards, towns, and villages
formalpoliticsgeography
1. municipalities; cities, wards, towns, and villages
A collective term for the four types of local government units in Japan: cities (市), special wards (区), towns (町), and villages (村). Used to refer to local municipalities as a group.
市区町村(しくちょうそん)コードを入力(にゅうりょく)する。
To enter the municipality code.
Please write the address with the prefecture and municipality separated.
Among all municipalities nationwide, many are facing population decline.

A four-character compound listing the four types of basic local government in Japan: 市(し) (city), 区(く) (ward), 町(ちょう) (town), 村(そん) (village). Frequently encountered on government forms and official documents.

Common patterns

  • 市(し): city — population generally over 50,000
  • 区(く): ward — the 23 special wards of Tokyo
  • 町(ちょう): town — smaller than a city
  • 村(そん): village — the smallest unit

Common collocations

  • 市区町村(しくちょうそん)コード: municipality code
  • 市区町村(しくちょうそん)名(めい): municipality name
  • 市区町村(しくちょうそん)合併(がっぺい): municipal merger

Related words

  • 都道府県(とどうふけん): prefectures — the level above municipalities in Japan's administrative hierarchy
  • 自治体(じちたい): local government body — a broader term for any autonomous local entity
  • 基礎自治体(きそじちたい): basic municipality — the formal administrative term