珍珠奶茶
zan¹ zyu¹ naai⁵ ca⁴
The English phrase "bubble tea" is 珍珠奶茶 (zan¹ zyu¹ naai⁵ ca⁴) in Cantonese.
珍珠奶茶 specifically refers to milk tea with tapioca balls. However, it is often used as a generic term for the entire category of pearl-based drinks in a shop.
Meaning: milk tea with tapioca balls (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 珍珠 (pearl), 奶 (milk) and 茶 (tea).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, 珍珠奶茶 is used and literally means "pearl milk tea". Another term, 波霸奶茶, is commonly used in Hong Kong to describe bubble tea that contains larger tapioca pearls.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zan¹ zyu¹ naai⁵ ca⁴.
Did you know?
- The term 波霸 in 波霸奶茶 is a slang term for 'busty' or 'large-breasted' women, which is why it is used to describe the extra-large size of the pearls.
- In Hong Kong, you can order 奶茶 (milk tea) without pearls, but the local 'silk stocking milk tea' is a distinct cultural icon that uses evaporated milk and is much stronger than the tea found in bubble tea shops.
- Customs in Hong Kong tea shops often involve a 'sugar level' and 'ice level' scale, where 少甜 ('less sweet') is a standard request to avoid the extreme sweetness of traditional recipes.
Examples in context
Example conversation
Ka Yan and Tsz Kin are walking at a shopping mall.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan我想飲珍珠奶茶，行去嗰邊睇下。ngo5 soeng2 jam2 zan1 zyu1 naai4 caa4, haang4 heoi3 go2 bin1 tai2 haa5.I want to drink bubble tea, let's go over there and see.
- 子健 Tsz Kin好啊，我都好想飲珍珠奶茶。hou2 aa3, ngo5 dou1 hou2 soeng2 jam2 zan1 zyu1 naai4 caa4.Sure, I really want to drink bubble tea too.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan你想要少糖定係正常糖？nei5 joeng3 jiu3 siu2 tong4 ding6 si6 zing3 soeng4 tong4?Do you want less sugar or normal sugar?
- 子健 Tsz Kin我想少糖，唔該。ngo5 soeng2 siu2 tong4, m4 goi1.I want less sugar, please.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bubble tea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
