Japanese word

器

Pronunciation

Romajiutsuwa

Meaning

  • nounbowl

Example

母が新しい器を買いました。haha ga atara shi i utsuwa o ka i ma shi ta

My mother bought a new bowl.

Illustration for 器 (bowl)

More examples

この器にスープを入れます。ko no utsuwa ni sū pu o i re ma su

I put soup in this bowl.

食事の後で器を洗います。shoku ji no ato de utsuwa o ara i ma su

I wash the bowl after the meal.

Core concept

It presents a bounded space that holds food, drink, or other contents, with the focus on the vessel as a usable object.

Common phrases

  • 料理を器に盛るryō ri o utsuwa ni mo ru

    serve food in a bowl

  • 器を洗うutsuwa o ara u

    wash the bowl

  • 器を片付けるutsuwa o kata zu ke ru

    put away the bowl

Similar words

鉢hachi: A deep, open vessel used to hold or serve food.
椀wan: A small, deep vessel used to serve soup or other food.
茶碗chawan: A bowl used for serving rice or drinking tea.
皿sara: A flat vessel used to hold or serve food.

Definition in Japanese

食べ物や飲み物を盛るための、口が広く底のある入れ物。ta be mono ya no mi mono o mo ru ta me no kuchi ga hiro ku soko no a ru i re mono

Word origin

The native Japanese noun 器 (utsuwa, "vessel") is written with the Chinese-derived character 器 (ki, "vessel"), while utsuwa itself is not a Sino-Japanese compound.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 器 (utsuwa) can refer to the serving vessel as a whole, including its material and shape, rather than only what it holds.

Other meanings

  • containernoun

Word lists with this word