In this study, dissolution characteristics of four types of commercial calcium phosphate ceramics were investigated in distilled water with respect to chemical composition and microstructure. For all samples, no significant damage was observed after 3 days of immersion. Following the 7 days of immersion, surface dissolution of the ceramics containing a crystalline phase susceptible to water such as TCP, even pure hydroxyapatite, was initiated at grain boundaries and the dissolution was extended interior to the material along the grain boundaries. In the considerably dissolved area, there was grain separation followed by the formation of 20 $mu extrm{m}$ of cavities. In at least one case, the residual pores on the surface appeared to initiate dissolution. In a dissolved area, a crack during the fracture propagates along the grain boundaries resulting in intergranular fracture, while transgranular fracture occurs in a dense area without significant dissolution.