Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kyoto

/ˈkjoʊtoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.41 in modern English

Syllables: ky-oto
IPA: /ˈkjoʊtoʊ/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A prefecture on the island of Honshu, Japan.

name

The capital city of Kyoto Prefecture, Japan; and the country's former capital.

name

The Kyoto Protocol.

Example Sentences

"The aversion to public displays of eating persists today not only in Kyoto but also throughout the higher levels of Japanese society."
"The merits and limitations of Kyoto have been subject to great discussion. Some criticize the regime for being too top-down, wasteful and infective as a means of tacking climate change (Prins and Rayner 2007; Victor 2001)."

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 京(きょう)都(と) (Kyōto, literally “capital city”), from Middle Chinese 京都 (kjæng-tu, “capital (of a country)”).

Word Breakdown

Root: 京都

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkjoʊtoʊ/

Inflected Forms

Kioto (alternative) Kyōto (alternative)

Rhymes With

moto toto soto yamamoto miyamoto matsumoto desoto hashimoto sakamoto koto cotto roto

Questions

How do you pronounce kyoto?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkjoʊtoʊ/.
What does kyoto mean?: A prefecture on the island of Honshu, Japan.
Where does kyoto come from?: Borrowed from Japanese 京(きょう)都(と) (Kyōto, literally “capital city”), from Middle Chinese 京都 (kjæng-tu, “capital (of a country)”).

How to pronounce kyoto

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kyoto”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkjoʊtoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kyoto”.
Repeat and practice — Say “kyoto” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.