Chinese word

茶

Pronunciation

Pinyinchá

Meaning

  • nountea

Example

我们一起喝杯茶吧。wǒ men yì qǐ hē bēi chá ba

Let's have a cup of tea together.

Illustration for 茶 (tea)

More examples

我喜欢喝绿茶。wǒ xǐ huān hē lǜ chá

I like drinking green tea.

Core concept

Hot water draws color and aroma from tea leaves, linking the living plant to the drink in a cup.

Common phrases

  • 喝茶hē chá

    drink tea

  • 一杯茶yì bēi chá

    a cup of tea

  • 绿茶lǜ chá

    green tea

Similar words

咖啡kā fēi: A fragrant, bitter drink made by brewing roasted coffee beans in hot water.
水shuǐ: Clear drinking liquid that has almost no taste or smell.

Definition in Chinese

由茶树的叶、芽或干品经加工制成，用热水浸泡或煮沸后饮用的饮料或该植物的统称。yóu chá shù de yè yá huò gàn pǐn jīng jiā gōng zhì chéng yòng rè shuǐ jìn pào huò zhǔ fèi hòu yǐn yòng de yǐn liào huò gāi zhí wù de tǒng chēng

Word origin

The Chinese word 茶 (chá, "tea") traveled widely with the drink, producing forms such as English tea through a southern trade route and cha in words such as chai through a northern route.

Usage tips

  • English uses tea for both a drink and, in some contexts, a light meal, but Chinese 茶 (chá, "tea") does not by itself mean a meal.

Related words

  • 茶馆chá guǎnteahousenoun
  • 茶叶chá yètea leavesnoun
  • 茶杯chá bēiteacupnoun

Word lists with this word