茶 碗(ちゃわん)

ちゃわん

noun

rice bowl

1. rice bowl

A bowl used for eating rice. Each family member typically has their own designated rice bowl.

茶碗(ちゃわん)を持(も)つ。

To hold a rice bowl.

This rice bowl is mine.

Please serve rice into the bowl.

Please wash the rice bowls when you finish eating.

In Japanese households, it's common for each family member to have their own rice bowl.

2. tea cup

Originally and still sometimes used to refer to a cup for drinking tea.

To pour tea into a tea cup.

The tea bowls used in tea ceremony are very expensive.

This tea bowl was made a hundred years ago.

To make matcha, you need a tea bowl and a bamboo whisk.

I heard that the tea bowl I inherited from my grandmother is a famous piece in tea ceremony.

茶碗(ちゃわん) literally means 'tea bowl' (茶(ちゃ) + 碗(わん)), but in modern usage primarily means 'rice bowl.'

SENSE 1 - RICE BOWL (common):
The bowl used for eating rice at meals.

SENSE 2 - TEA BOWL (traditional):
Used in tea ceremony (茶道(さどう)).

In Japanese families, each person typically has their own designated rice bowl and chopsticks (箸(はし)). Using someone else's is considered impolite.

Related Words

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Added 2026.1.7 21:23 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:29

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