湯飲み

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 湯飲み, read ゆのみ, and it combines 湯, meaning hot water or tea, with 飲み, meaning drinking.
• Basic usage: 湯飲み is a Japanese-style teacup, often without a handle, used for serving tea.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• One cup filled with tea and several cups prepared for guests
  • Both examples use the form 湯飲み. The first is one blue teacup filled by the speaker's grandmother; the second specifies four cups taken from a shelf for guests.
• A grandmother's blue cup and four cups for guests
  • 祖母は青い湯飲みに熱いお茶を注ぎました。 — My grandmother poured hot tea into a blue teacup.
  • 棚から客用の湯飲みを四つ出しました。 — I took four guest teacups from the shelf.