コーヒーカップ

こーひーかっぷ
noun
coffee cup; coffee mug; (in an amusement park) a teacup ride
1. a coffee cup; a small cup, usually with a saucer, designed for drinking coffee
Refers to the standard small ceramic cup with a handle that is used for serving coffee, typically together with a matching saucer. Japanese speakers tend to use コーヒーカップ specifically for the formal, smaller, saucer-paired type used for hot black coffee or espresso, in contrast to the larger handled mug (マグカップ) used for casual everyday drinks.
白(しろ)いコーヒーカップを買(か)った。
I bought a white coffee cup.
コーヒーカップに熱(あつ)いコーヒーを注(そそ)いだ。
I poured hot coffee into the coffee cup.
お客(きゃく)さん用(よう)のコーヒーカップとソーサーを、食器棚(しょっきだな)から出(だ)しておこう。
Let me take the guest coffee cups and saucers out of the cupboard.
2. a teacup ride; a spinning amusement-park ride in which riders sit inside large, saucer-mounted cups and spin them by turning a wheel in the centre
By visual analogy, コーヒーカップ also refers to the classic amusement-park ride in which riders sit in large oversized 'coffee cups' that rotate around a centre pivot. The same ride is called 'teacups' in English-speaking parks; in Japanese, the loanword 'coffee cup' is used instead. It is a staple ride at theme parks like Disneyland, Sanrio Puroland, and family amusement parks across Japan.
遊園地(ゆうえんち)でコーヒーカップに乗(の)った。
I rode the teacups at the amusement park.
子(こ)どもたちはコーヒーカップを思(おも)い切(き)り回(まわ)して、大(おお)はしゃぎだった。
The children were spinning the teacups as hard as they could and were having a great time.
コーヒーカップは回転(かいてん)しすぎると気持(きも)ち悪(わる)くなるので、私(わたし)は乗(の)らないようにしている。
I avoid the teacup ride because spinning around too much makes me feel sick.

Direct loan from English 'coffee cup'. The drink-cup sense is the everyday meaning; the amusement-park sense is a Japanese-specific extension based on the visual resemblance.

USAGE:

For sense 1, Japanese speakers usually distinguish:

  • コーヒーカップ: the smaller, formal style of cup with a saucer, for hot coffee or espresso
  • マグカップ: a larger handled mug, used for casual everyday drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa, soup)
  • ティーカップ: a teacup paired with a saucer, slightly different in shape from a コーヒーカップ

The word can also describe the abstract category 'coffee cup' as a product type (e.g. in shopping or kitchenware contexts).

For sense 2, the word is the standard Japanese name for the amusement-park ride. Japanese speakers do not say 'teacup ride' (ティーカップ); they say コーヒーカップ. The ride is sometimes also called コーヒーカップ乗(の)り物(もの) or just 'コーヒーカップ' on park maps.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS (sense 1):

  • コーヒーカップに注(そそ)ぐ: to pour into a coffee cup
  • コーヒーカップを洗(あら)う: to wash a coffee cup
  • コーヒーカップに口(くち)をつける: to take a sip from a coffee cup
  • コーヒーカップとソーサー: coffee cup and saucer
  • 陶器(とうき)のコーヒーカップ: a ceramic coffee cup
  • 磁器(じき)のコーヒーカップ: a porcelain coffee cup

COMMON COLLOCATIONS (sense 2):

  • コーヒーカップに乗(の)る: to ride the teacups
  • コーヒーカップを回(まわ)す: to spin the teacup (by turning the wheel inside)
  • 遊園地(ゆうえんち)のコーヒーカップ: amusement park teacup ride

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • マグカップ: mug — a larger handled cup without a saucer; used for everyday drinks.
  • ティーカップ: teacup — a saucer-paired cup designed specifically for tea; usually shallower and wider than a coffee cup.
  • カップ: cup — the general loanword; needs context to specify what kind.
  • ソーサー: saucer — the small plate that goes under a coffee cup or teacup.
  • 湯飲(ゆの)み: Japanese tea cup — the small handle-less cup used for green tea; very different in shape and tradition.
  • ティーカップ (遊園地(ゆうえんち)): a less common alternate name for the teacup ride; usually コーヒーカップ is preferred in Japan.

CULTURAL NOTE:
The coffee cup amusement-park ride is one of the most universally recognised and beloved attractions in Japanese theme parks. The version at Tokyo Disneyland (アリスのティーパーティー) is officially called a tea party, but in everyday Japanese the type of ride is referred to as コーヒーカップ regardless of the official name.

general
Added 2026.4.12 10:47
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