タピオカティー
tapioka tī
Boba tea in Japanese is タピオカティー (tapioka tī).
This phrase refers to a tea-based drink containing chewy balls made from tapioca starch.
Which one should you use?
While タピオカティー is the standard term, タピオカミルクティー is a very common way to specify a milk-based boba tea. Additionally, タピ is an abbreviated, casual way to refer to the drink.
How do you pronounce it?
tapioka tī
Did you know?
- In Japan, the drink is often called タピる (tapiru), which is a slang verb meaning 'to go drink boba tea'.
- In Japan, the chewy texture of the pearls is described using the word もちもち, which is the same word used for the texture of traditional 'mochi' rice cakes.
- The phenomenon of drinking boba was so popular in Japan during certain years that it was dubbed the タピ活 (tapi-katsu) boom, meaning 'tapioca activities'.
Examples in context
- タピオカドリンクをください。Please give me a tapioca drink.
- タピオカティーを飲みます。Tapioka ti- o nomimasu.I drink boba tea.
- タピオカティーは甘くて美味しいです。Tapioka ti- wa amakute oishii desu.Boba tea is sweet and delicious.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking through a shopping mall.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太、タピオカティーを買いに行かない？Youta, tapioka tii o kai ni ikanai?Youta, do you want to go buy some boba tea?
- 陽太 Yotaいいよ。あのお店に行こう。Ii yo. Ano omise ni ikou.Sure. Let's go to that shop.
- 陽葵 Himariあのお店はタピオカティーが有名なんだよ。Ano omise wa tapioka tii ga yuumei nan da yo.That shop is famous for its boba tea.
- 陽太 Yota楽しみだな。早く行こう！Tanoshimi da na. Hayaku ikou!I'm looking forward to it. Let's go quickly!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry タピオカティー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
