碗
bowl
wǎn
What does 碗 mean?
碗 (wǎn) is the noun for 'bowl' — the round vessel used to serve rice, noodles, soup, and most Chinese meals. It's also a measure word for bowl-quantities of food: 一碗饭 ('a bowl of rice'), 两碗面 ('two bowls of noodles'). This dual life as noun AND measure word is common for vessels (compare 杯 'cup,' 盘 'plate'). Cultural note: rice in China is served in individual bowls, so '我吃了三碗' ('I had three bowls') is a normal way to describe a meal.
Common compounds: 饭碗 ('rice bowl,' also a slang term for one's job / livelihood — 'breaking the rice bowl' = losing the job), 碗筷 ('bowl and chopsticks,' i.e. tableware). The verb for washing dishes is 洗碗 ('wash bowls').
Character breakdown
bowl
Memory hook: 石 (stone) radical on left — early bowls were carved from stone or stone-like materials.
Measure word for 碗
Example sentences
请给我一碗米饭。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì wǎn mǐfàn.
Please give me a bowl of rice.
spoken
桌上有两个碗。
Zhuō shàng yǒu liǎng ge wǎn.
There are two bowls on the table.
neutral
今天我洗碗。
Jīntiān wǒ xǐ wǎn.
I'll do the dishes today.
spoken
他一口气吃了三碗面。
Tā yì kǒu qì chī le sān wǎn miàn.
He polished off three bowls of noodles in one go.
spoken
Common phrases with 碗
Don't confuse 碗 with
Same pinyin wǎn but means 'late / evening.' 晚上 'evening,' 很晚 'very late.' Different character (日 sun radical).
盘 is 'plate / dish' — flat. 碗 is round and deep. Use 一盘菜 for a plate of stir-fry, 一碗汤 for a bowl of soup.
杯 is 'cup / glass' — for drinks. 碗 is for food. Don't say 一碗水; say 一杯水 ('a cup of water').
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