Saitama埼玉県

Saitama-ken, さいたまけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.

Saitama is directly north of Tokyo, and many of its people commute there. Saitama City was formed in 2001 by merging Urawa, Ōmiya, and Yono.

Open Saitama on the map

Facts

Japanese name

埼玉県

Reading

Saitama-ken / さいたまけん

Region

Kantō 関東

Capital

Saitama さいたま市

Population

7,344,765 (2020 census)

Area

3,798 km²

Density

1,934 people per km²

Municipalities

63: 40 cities, 22 towns, and 1 village

Designated cities

Saitama City

Districts (郡)

8

Codes

JIS 11, ISO 3166-2 JP-11

Website

www.pref.saitama.lg.jp

Tree

zelkova ケヤキ

Flower

Japanese primrose サクラソウ

Bird

collared dove シラコバト

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 53 are listed below.

How an address here begins

The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name, then the name of one of Saitama's 10 wards. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.

Neighbouring prefectures

• Ibaraki茨城県
• Gunma群馬県
• Chiba千葉県
• Tokyo東京都
• Yamanashi山梨県
• Nagano長野県

Questions about Saitama

Is Saitama a city or a prefecture?

Saitama (埼玉県) is a prefecture, one of Japan's 47. Saitama City (さいたま市) 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 Saitama?

Saitama City (さいたま市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture. It is a designated city, divided into wards.

What does 県 mean in 埼玉県?

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 Saitama?

63: 40 cities, 22 towns, and 1 village. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. One of them is a designated city, divided into wards: Saitama City (10 wards). The wards are offices of the city, not governments. The towns and villages are grouped into eight districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Saitama?

7,344,765 at the 2020 census, on 3,798 km², which is 1,934 people per km². Saitama is the 5th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 39th largest by area.

Which prefectures border Saitama?

Six prefectures: Ibaraki (茨城県), Gunma (群馬県), Chiba (千葉県), Tokyo (東京都), Yamanashi (山梨県), and Nagano (長野県). Borders across water are not counted.

What region is Saitama in?

Kantō (関東). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Saitama elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.

How is Saitama written in Japanese?

埼玉県, read Saitama-ken and written さいたまけん 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 Saitama begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 埼玉県さいたま市… (Saitama-ken, Saitama-shi, …). In Saitama the ward name is written after the city name, since it is a designated city. After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Saitama?

Saitama City (さいたま市), with 1,324,025 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Saitama City (さいたま市, 1,324,025), Kawaguchi City (川口市, 594,274), and Kawagoe City (川越市, 354,571).

What are the symbols of Saitama?

The prefectural tree is the zelkova (ケヤキ), the flower the Japanese primrose (サクラソウ), and the bird the collared dove (シラコバト). Saitama chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.