Chūō (中央区, Chūō-ku; Japanese pronunciation: [tɕɯː.oː, tɕɯː.oꜜː, tɕɯː.oꜜː.kɯ]) is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Chūō City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Kyōbashi and Nihonbashi wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis.
Chūō-ku, as a combination of Kyōbashi and Nihonbashi, is the core of Shitamachi, the original downtown center of Edo-Tokyo. The name Chūō literally means "Central Ward," and it has historically been Tokyo’s main commercial center. However, since the end of World War II, Shinjuku and Shibuya in the west have risen to challenge that position. This is reflected in the fact that Chūō is located entirely outside the Yamanote Line loop, which is now regarded as the inner core of central Tokyo.