Kōchi高知県

Kōchi-ken, こうちけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.

Kōchi is the Pacific side of Shikoku. It is mostly forest, and the Shimanto River flows through it.

Open Kōchi on the map

Facts

Japanese name

高知県

Reading

Kōchi-ken / こうちけん

Region

Shikoku 四国

Capital

Kōchi 高知市

Population

691,527 (2020 census)

Area

7,104 km²

Density

97 people per km²

Municipalities

34: 11 cities, 17 towns, and 6 villages

Designated cities

None

Districts (郡)

6

Codes

JIS 39, ISO 3166-2 JP-39

Website

www.pref.kochi.lg.jp

Tree

Yanase cedar ヤナセスギ

Flower

Japanese bayberry ヤマモモ

Bird

fairy pitta ヤイロチョウ

The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.

The most populous municipalities

2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 24 are listed below.

How an address here begins

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

• Tokushima徳島県
• Ehime愛媛県

Questions about Kōchi

Is Kōchi a city or a prefecture?

Kōchi (高知県) is a prefecture, one of Japan's 47. Kōchi City (高知市) is a municipality inside it and its capital. On its own, the name usually means the city. With 県 on the end it means the prefecture.

What is the capital of Kōchi?

Kōchi City (高知市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture.

What does 県 mean in 高知県?

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 Kōchi?

34: 11 cities, 17 towns, and 6 villages. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. The towns and villages are grouped into six districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Kōchi?

691,527 at the 2020 census, on 7,104 km², which is 97 people per km². Kōchi is the 45th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 18th largest by area.

Which prefectures border Kōchi?

Two prefectures: Tokushima (徳島県) and Ehime (愛媛県). Borders across water are not counted.

What region is Kōchi in?

Shikoku (四国). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Kōchi elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.

How is Kōchi written in Japanese?

高知県, read Kōchi-ken and written こうちけん 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 Kōchi begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 高知県高知市… (Kōchi-ken, Kochi-shi, …). After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Kōchi?

Kochi City (高知市), with 326,545 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Kochi City (高知市, 326,545), Nankoku City (南国市, 46,664), and Shimanto City (四万十市, 32,694).

What are the symbols of Kōchi?

The prefectural tree is the Yanase cedar (ヤナセスギ), the flower the Japanese bayberry (ヤマモモ), and the bird the fairy pitta (ヤイロチョウ). Kōchi chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.