Chawan

Chawan is a transliteration of the Chinese word “茶碗,” which literally means “tea bowl.” It is a small bowl used for drinking tea and can be simply understood as a type of teacup. The earliest tea-drinking vessels were traditional Chinese ceramic bowls. This style was passed down for tea drinking, but a chawan is typically smaller than a rice bowl. To prevent burns from hot tea, a tea tray (茶托) was invented, which eventually evolved into the gaiwan.

Japanese Tea Bowl vs. Chinese Tea Bowl

There is no fundamental difference between the two. Japanese tea bowls originated in China. However, due to the popularity of matcha culture in Japan, the term “Japanese tea bowl” often specifically refers to the matcha tea bowl used in matcha preparation. If you are looking to buy this type of bowl, please refer to the matcha set section.