state capital; provincial capital; county town
Refers to the capital city of a state, province, or county. In Japanese contexts, often used for U.S. state capitals or Chinese provincial capitals.
オレゴン州の州都はセーラムです。
The capital of Oregon is Salem.
The state capital of California is Sacramento.
彼は州都で開かれる会議に出席した。
He attended a conference held in the state capital.
They designated this town as the capital of the new state.
県庁所在地 is the specific Japanese term for a prefectural capital, whereas 州都 is used for states or provinces, typically outside Japan.
Compound of 州 (state, province) and 都 (capital, metropolis). The reading is on'yomi for both characters.