京 originally referred to a tall hill with buildings — symbolizing a place of importance. Over time, it came to mean “capital city,” such as Kyoto (old capital) or Tokyo (eastern capital). It can also be used as a numeric unit meaning a trillion (兆の万倍).
京都は 古い都です。
Kyoto is an old capital city.
東京は 日本の首都です。
Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
京都 — Kyoto. ➡️
