Save Type Settlement Usage Japanese Scripts 札幌(Japanese Kanji) さっぽろ(Japanese Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. SAP-PO-RO [key·IPA] Meaning & History From Ainu サッ・ポロ・ペッ (sat poro pet) meaning "dry, great river", referring to the Toyohira River. This is the name of the capital city of Hokkaido prefecture, Japan.