Chinese word

首都

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǒu dū

Meaning

  • nouncapital

Example

中国的首都在哪儿？zhōng guó de shǒu dū zài nǎr

Where is the capital of China?

Illustration for 首都 (capital)

More examples

首都人口增长很快。shǒu dū rén kǒu zēng zhǎng hěn kuài

The capital's population is growing quickly.

Core concept

A country's main political city houses the central government and serves as a visible national symbol.

Common phrases

  • 首都人口shǒu dū rén kǒu

    population of the capital

  • 离首都很远lí shǒu dū hěn yuǎn

    far from the capital

Similar words

城市chéng shì: A sizable city with many residents and clusters of shops, businesses, and homes.
都市dū shì: A developed city area marked by a large population and active economic life.
省会shěng huì: A province's administrative center, where the provincial government conducts its work.
首府shóu fǔ: A local administrative area's center for government and political affairs.

Definition in Chinese

指国家的政治中心城市，作为中央政府所在地同时承担国家象征性职能的城市。zhǐ guó jiā de zhèng zhì zhōng xīn chéng shì zuò wéi zhōng yāng zhèng fǔ suǒ zài dì tóng shí chéng dān guó jiā xiàng zhēng xìng zhí néng de chéng shì

Word origin

首 (shǒu, "head; foremost") + 都 (dū, "city") combines the ideas of first place and a city to form the term for a country's foremost political city.

Usage tips

  • English uses "capital" for national and regional centers, but everyday Chinese reserves this term for a country's national capital rather than a province's administrative center.

Opposites

Word lists with this word