首都（しゅと、shuto）
- capital city

The word 首都 しゅと means "capital" or "capital city." It refers to the city that serves as the seat of government for a country, state, or other political entity. It's the location where the main governmental institutions are located.

⚫︎ 日本の首都 Translation: The capital of Japan. ⚫︎ 東京は日本の首都です Translation: Tokyo is the capital of Japan. ⚫︎ 彼の国は新しい首都を建設する Translation: His country is constructing a new capital city.

⚫︎ You use 首都 when discussing the main city of a country or region, particularly in contexts related to politics, government, and administration. ⚫︎ It can be used in both formal and informal conversations.

⚫︎ The word is typically written in kanji as 首都. ⚫︎ The reading is しゅと in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no variations in okurigana for this word.

⚫︎ There aren't any direct synonyms that are used as frequently. The word "capital" itself is a synonym, in English.

⚫︎ While there's no single perfect antonym, words like 地方（ちほう - region, province) or other cities that are not the capital can be considered opposites.

フランスの首都はパリです。 ・Translation: The capital of France is Paris. ・Explanation: This sentence simply states which city serves as the capital of France.

新しい首都は国の経済の中心になるでしょう。 ・Translation: The new capital will become the economic center of the country. ・Explanation: This sentence discusses the potential economic significance of a newly designated capital city.

The word 首都 is a compound word formed from: ⚫︎ 首（しゅ - shu) meaning "chief" or "principal". ⚫︎ 都（と - to) meaning "capital" or "metropolis". Therefore, 首都 literally means "chief capital" or "principal capital."