The Meaning of kappu [カップ] In Japanese

カップ
カップ
Romaji: kappu N5

What does カップ mean?

Translation and Meaning

cup, trophy, World Cup, bra cup size, drinking vessel

Definition

カップ refers to a cup or small drinking vessel; it is also used for sports trophies named as cups, and to indicate bra cup sizes.

Type

Noun (gairaigo)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • drinking vessel or container for beverages
  • trophy or prize in sports, especially in events named cups like the World Cup
  • bra cup size indicator (e.g., Cカップ)
  • measuring vessel used in cooking and recipes

Etymology

From English cup, borrowed into Japanese as カップ (kappu). The rendering uses a double consonant to simulate the English final consonant and a long vowel, a common pattern in loanword adaptation.

Usage

Used as a noun in both casual and formal contexts: to refer to a drinking cup; in sports journalism as a trophy, as in World Cup; to indicate bra sizes in fashion contexts using expressions like Cカップ; and in cooking for measuring cups.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a cup stamped with two P letters (pp) to echo the English word cup; the double P helps recall the katakana rendering with a geminated p sound as kappu.

Variations

  • コップ (koppu) — general drinking cup
  • グラス (gurasu) — glass, a vessel without a handle
  • マグ (magu) — mug, larger with a handle
  • ワールドカップ (Wārudo kappu) — World Cup, a major international cup tournament

Example Phrases

  • 朝、カップを洗ってからコーヒーを飲む。
    Asa, kappu o aratte kara kōhī o nomu.
    In the morning, I wash the cup and then drink coffee.
    Lista:
    • 朝 (asa) – morning
    • カップ (kappu) – cup
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 洗ってから (aratte kara) – after washing
    • コーヒー (kōhī) – coffee
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 飲む (nomu) – to drink
    Core grammar: te-form + から expresses sequence; here 「カップを洗ってから」 = ‘after washing the cup’.
  • 精々 今日の 夕食は カップ麺 くらい だ と 思う
    seizei kyou no yuushoku wa kappumen kurai da to omou
    At most, today’s dinner is cup noodles, I think.
    Lista:
    • 精々 (seizei) – direct translation in en
    • 今日の (kyou no) – direct translation in en
    • 夕食は (yuushoku wa) – direct translation in en
    • カップ麺 (kappumen) – direct translation in en
    • くらい (kurai) – direct translation in en
    • だ (da) – direct translation in en
    • と (to) – direct translation in en
    • 思う (omou) – direct translation in en
    Upper-limit nuance: 「精々」 means ‘at most’ here.
  • この容積を測るために計量カップを使います。
    Kono yōseki o hakaru tame ni keiryō kappu o tsukaimasu.
    I use a measuring cup to measure this volume.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • 容積 (yōseki) – volume
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 測る (hakaru) – to measure
    • ために (tame ni) – in order to
    • 計量 (keiryō) – measuring
    • カップ (kappu) – cup
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 使います (tsukaimasu) – to use
    The word 「容積」 means volume; in this sentence 容積 is the object of 測る, and the phrase この容積を測るために expresses purpose: ‘in order to measure this volume.’
カップ