Save Type Political Subdivision & Settlement Usage Japanese Scripts 大阪(Japanese Kanji) おおさか(Japanese Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. O-SA-KA [key·IPA] Other Forms FormsŌsaka Meaning & History From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 阪 (saka) meaning "slope". This is the name of a city in Japan, as well as the prefecture in which the city is located.