Crossword Clue: Capital of Japan
Here's the answer to the Capital of Japan crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: TOKYO
The answer to "Capital of Japan" is TOKYO. Tokyo runs 5 letters — 2 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with T and closing on O. In a grid it fills a 5-square slot whose letters are each shared with a crossing word, so the intersections do a lot of the heavy lifting when the clue itself is tough.
Origin & meaning
Tokyo is the world's most populous metropolitan area, home to over 37 million people in its greater region. Once a fishing village called Edo, it became the imperial capital in 1868. The city hosted the Summer Olympics in both 1964 and 2021.
Common usage
You'll see TOKYO in grids regularly — its 5-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the T or O, TOKYO tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like TOKYO are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet TOKYO again and again, and recognizing it instantly is one of the quiet skills that separates fast solvers from slow ones.
Stuck on this clue?
The fastest way past a stubborn clue like this one is the grid itself: pencil in the easy crossing answers first, and TOKYO will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue TOKYO — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "Once the T was confirmed by the crossing word, TOKYO was the only entry that fit."
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Capital of Japan'? That's TOKYO nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed TOKYO was right."