JAWA is a motorcycle manufacturer founded in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1929 by František Janeček, who bought the motorcycle division of Wanderer. The name JAWA was established by concatenating the first letters of Janeček and Wanderer. In the past, especially in the 1950s, JAWA was one of the top motorcycle manufacturers and exported its 350 (Pérák) into over 120 countries. Another famous model in the 1970s was the 350 Californian.

In 1934 JAWA introduced its first car, the JAWA 700, which was DKW-based. In 1937, the modified JAWA 600 Minor was introduced. Production continued in limited numbers throughout WWII, and some were assembled in the immediate postwar period.