noun
Tokyo Metropolis; metropolitan prefecture
Refers specifically to the Tokyo Metropolitan administrative area (東京都). Also used for other metropolitan prefectures like Osaka and Kyoto in official contexts.
See also: 東京都
東京都は日本の首都です。
Tokyo Metropolis is the capital of Japan.
都の条例が改正された。
The metropolitan ordinance was revised.
counter
counter for cities and towns
Used in formal or statistical contexts to count administrative divisions. Not used in everyday conversation.
この県には五つの都がある。
There are five cities in this prefecture.
noun
Archaic or literary term for a capital city. In modern Japanese, 首都 (しゅと) is the standard word.
See also: 都 (みやこ)
古都京都はかつて日本の都だった。
Ancient Kyoto was once the capital of Japan.
Standard modern word for 'capital city'. 都 in the capital sense is archaic or literary.
General term for 'city' or 'urban area'. 都 is more specific to administrative divisions or historical capitals.
The kanji 都 has been used historically to denote a capital or large city. The reading と is the on'yomi, commonly used in compounds. The specific administrative sense for Tokyo Metropolis is a modern usage.