釜(かま)

かま

noun

iron pot, cauldron, kettle

1. iron pot, cauldron

A large metal cooking pot, traditionally made of iron, used for cooking rice and other dishes.

釜(かま)でご飯(はん)を炊(た)く。

Cook rice in an iron pot.

昔(むかし)は家(いえ)ごとに大(おお)きな釜(かま)があった。

In the old days, every house had a large iron pot.

おばあちゃんは今(いま)でも釜(かま)で炊(た)いたご飯(はん)が一番(いちばん)おいしいと言(い)う。

Grandma still says rice cooked in an iron pot tastes the best.

2. boiler, kiln

Used in compounds to refer to various types of furnaces or kilns, such as pottery kilns.

この窯(かま)は陶芸(とうげい)用(よう)です。

This kiln is for pottery.

窯(かま) uses a different kanji for kiln/furnace

窯(かま)の温度(おんど)を上(あ)げてください。

Please raise the temperature of the kiln.

古(ふる)い窯(かま)を修理(しゅうり)して、もう一度(いちど)使(つか)えるようにした。

They repaired the old kiln so it could be used again.

釜(かま) refers to a traditional iron pot or cauldron used for cooking, particularly for rice. In modern Japan, 炊飯器(すいはんき) (rice cooker) has largely replaced the traditional 釜(かま).

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

釜(かま)を炊(た)く (to cook in a pot)
ご飯(はん)を釜(かま)で炊(た)く (to cook rice in a traditional pot)
風呂釜(ふろがま) (bathtub heater)

RELATED KANJI:

釜(かま): iron pot for cooking
窯(かま): kiln for pottery or bricks (same reading, different kanji)

general

Added 2026.1.13 10:47 · Revised 2026.5.28 7:16

03500/03880_kama