Ehime愛媛県
Ehime-ken, えひめけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.
Ehime is north-western Shikoku. It has citrus groves and Dōgo Onsen, one of Japan's oldest hot springs.
Facts
- Japanese name
- 愛媛県
- Reading
- Ehime-ken / えひめけん
- Region
- Shikoku 四国
- Capital
- Matsuyama 松山市
- Population
- 1,334,841 (2020 census)
- Area
- 5,676 km²
- Density
- 235 people per km²
- Municipalities
- 20: 11 cities and 9 towns
- Designated cities
- None
- Districts (郡)
- 7
- Codes
- JIS 38, ISO 3166-2 JP-38
- Website
- www.pref.ehime.jp
- Tree
- pine マツ
- Flower
- mikan blossom みかんの花
- Bird
- Japanese robin コマドリ
The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.
The most populous municipalities
| Municipality | Population | km² | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matsuyama City松山市 | 511,192 | 429.35 | 38.3% |
| Imabari City今治市 | 151,672 | 419.21 | 11.4% |
| Niihama City新居浜市 | 115,938 | 234.5 | 8.7% |
| Saijo City西条市 | 104,791 | 510.04 | 7.9% |
| Shikokuchuo City四国中央市 | 82,754 | 421.24 | 6.2% |
| Uwajima City宇和島市 | 70,809 | 468.19 | 5.3% |
| Ozu City大洲市 | 40,575 | 432.12 | 3.0% |
| Seiyo City西予市 | 35,388 | 514.34 | 2.7% |
| Iyo City伊予市 | 35,133 | 194.44 | 2.6% |
| Toon City東温市 | 33,903 | 211.3 | 2.5% |
2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 10 are listed below.
How an address here begins
愛媛県松山市…
Ehime-ken, Matsuyama-shi, …
The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.
Neighbouring prefectures
Every municipality in Ehime市区町村
20 local governments, each with its own mayor and assembly. Each has a page with its population, area, neighbours, and boundary on the map.
Cities市
Districts, with their towns and villages郡 町 村
A district is a name that groups towns and villages in an address. It has no office and no election. Each town and village in it is a government.
Questions about Ehime
- What is the capital of Ehime?
- Matsuyama (松山市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture.
- What does 県 mean in 愛媛県?
- 県 (ken) means prefecture. It is the ordinary word for prefecture, used by 43 of the 47. The other four are Tokyo (都), Hokkaidō (道), Osaka, and Kyoto (府), which are the same kind of government with a different word at the end of the name.
- How many municipalities are in Ehime?
- 20: 11 cities and 9 towns. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. The towns and villages are grouped into seven districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.
- What is the population of Ehime?
- 1,334,841 at the 2020 census, on 5,676 km², which is 235 people per km². Ehime is the 28th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 26th largest by area.
- Which prefectures border Ehime?
- Three prefectures: Tokushima (徳島県), Kagawa (香川県), and Kōchi (高知県). Borders across water are not counted.
- What region is Ehime in?
- Shikoku (四国). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Ehime elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.
- How is Ehime written in Japanese?
- 愛媛県, read Ehime-ken and written えひめけん in hiragana. The last character, 県, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.
- How does an address in Ehime begin?
- With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 愛媛県松山市… (Ehime-ken, Matsuyama-shi, …). After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.
- What is the largest city in Ehime?
- Matsuyama City (松山市), with 511,192 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Matsuyama City (松山市, 511,192), Imabari City (今治市, 151,672), and Niihama City (新居浜市, 115,938).
- What are the symbols of Ehime?
- The prefectural tree is the pine (マツ), the flower the mikan blossom (みかんの花), and the bird the Japanese robin (コマドリ). Ehime chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.
Boundaries: MLIT 国土数値情報. Population: 2020 Population Census (令和2年国勢調査). Area: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (全国都道府県市区町村別面積調, 2020). Municipality counts are from the boundary data on the map. Website and symbols: the prefecture's Japanese Wikipedia article, read in September 2026.