Translation guide
The English word "bowl" can refer to a deep dish, the contents of that dish, a bowl-shaped object, or the sport of bowling. This guide covers the most common Japanese equivalents for each meaning.
A deep, round container used for serving food like rice, soup, or cereal.
A general term for a bowl, especially a rice bowl or teacup. Very common in daily life.
Please serve the rice into a bowl.
A large, deep bowl often used for donburi dishes (rice topped with meat, fish, etc.). Also refers to the dish itself.
He ate katsudon in a large bowl.
A loanword from English, often used for mixing bowls or Western-style bowls. Common in cooking contexts.
Please put the flour in a bowl.
A bowl, often deeper and wider, used for various purposes including serving food or as a flowerpot. Can be less specific than 茶碗.
I arranged the salad in a large bowl.
The amount of food or liquid that a bowl contains.
Use the counter 杯 (はい/ばい/ぱい) after the bowl type to indicate 'a bowl of'. The reading changes depending on the preceding word.
Please give me a bowl of miso soup.
He ate three bowls of rice.
Specifically 'a bowlful' using 丼, often for donburi dishes.
He polished off a whole bowl of oyakodon.
Something shaped like a bowl, such as a stadium, a valley, or a toilet bowl.
The loanword is often used for bowl-shaped objects, especially in sports or architecture (e.g., Super Bowl, Hollywood Bowl).
The Super Bowl is held every February.
Specifically 'toilet bowl'. Not used for other bowl shapes.
A mortar (bowl-shaped grinding vessel), often used in Japanese cooking. Literally 'grinding bowl'.
The game in which a heavy ball is rolled down a lane to knock down pins.
The standard term for the sport. Note the long vowel and the 'gu' ending.
I went bowling with friends on the weekend.
茶碗 (chawan) is the most common word for a rice bowl or teacup, typically smaller. 丼 (donburi) is a larger, deeper bowl for noodle or rice dishes with toppings. 鉢 (hachi) is a general term for a bowl or basin, often larger and used for serving or as a container. ボウル (bōru) is a Western-style mixing bowl.
While ボウル is understood, it sounds unnatural for traditional Japanese bowls. Use 茶碗 or 丼 for rice and soup bowls.
Please clean the toilet bowl.
ごまをすり鉢ですった。
I ground sesame seeds in a mortar bowl.