mjuːnˈɪsɪpˈælᵻɾiz ænd pɹˈiːfɛktʃɚlˈɛvəl sˈɪɾiz ɑːɹ nˌɑːt ˈiːtʃ ɐ sˈɪɾi ɪnðə stɹˈɪktɪst sˈɛns ʌvðə tˈɜːm, bˌʌt ɑːɹ, ɪnstˈɛd, ɐn ɐdmˈɪnɪstɹˌeɪɾɪv jˈuːnɪt kəmpɹˈaɪzɪŋ, tˈɪpɪkli, bˈoʊθ ðɪ ˈɜːbən kˈoːɹ ɐ sˈɪɾi ɪnðə stɹˈɪkt sˈɛns ænd sɚɹˈaʊndɪŋ ɹˈʊɹɹəl ɔːɹ lˈɛsˈɜːbənˌaɪzd ˈɛɹiəz.
Municipalities and prefecture-level cities are not each a 'city' in the strictest sense of the term, but are, instead, an administrative unit comprising, typically, both the urban core (a city in the strict sense) and surrounding rural or less-urbanized areas.