Refers specifically to ceramic or porcelain bowls, as opposed to wooden bowls (椀). Commonly used for rice bowls, soup bowls, etc.
See also: 椀
This bowl is Arita ware.
I served the rice into a bowl and brought it out.
Please serve rice into the bowl.
counter for bowls of food or drink
Used to count servings in bowls, e.g., bowls of rice, soup, or noodles.
Two bowls of ramen, please.
I had a bowl of soup.
碗 is a small individual bowl used for rice or soup at the table, while 鉢 is a larger, deeper bowl used for serving, mixing, or communal dishes.
Standard kanji for ceramic or porcelain bowls.
Rarely used kanji form.
The kanji 碗 is a phono-semantic compound with 石 (stone) and 宛 (phonetic), originally referring to a stone or ceramic bowl. The reading わん is the on'yomi.