té de burbujas
/te de buɾbuxas/from spelling rulesmasculine
In Spanish, bubble tea is té de burbujas. If unsure, use té de burbujas. Wiktionary also lists té de perlas and té de bobas.
Meaning: milk tea with tapioca balls (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| té de burbujas | /te de buɾbuxas/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| té de perlas | /te de peɾlas/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| té de bobas | /te de bobas/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| té boba | /te boba/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| cha perlado | /t͡ʃa peɾlado/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| cha aperlado | /t͡ʃa apeɾlado/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| cha perlino | /t͡ʃa peɾlino/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| cha con bolitas | /t͡ʃa kon bolitas/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
The term refers to milk tea with tapioca balls. In many Spanish-speaking urban areas, the English term 'bubble tea' is used directly in casual conversation.
Which one should you use?
While té de burbujas is a literal translation of 'bubble tea' and is understood, it is less common than using the English name or descriptive terms like té con perlas. The form té con bolitas is also a very common, descriptive way to refer to the drink in many Spanish-speaking countries.
How do you pronounce it?
/te de buɾbuxas/
Did you know?
- The term boba in té boba comes from the Cantonese phrase meaning 'large breasts', referring to the size of the pearls.
- Spanish has two different words for tea: té and cha. These are actually the same word borrowed from different Chinese dialects.
- Because boba is a borrowed English term, using it in Spanish can sometimes make a person sound like they are using 'Spanglish' in a trendy, urban setting.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría probar una taza de té con bolas de tapioca, por favor.I would like to try a cup of bubble tea, please.
- ¡Vamos a encontrarnos más tarde para tomar té de burbujas!Let's meet up for some bubble tea later!
- Oye, ¿has probado alguna vez té con bolitas de tapioca? ¡Está increíble!Hey, have you ever tried bubble tea? It's amazing!
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are at a cafe.
- AlejandroElena, ¿quieres un té de burbujas?Elena, do you want a bubble tea?
- ElenaSí, me encantaría uno.Yes, I would love one.
- AlejandroPerfecto, voy a pedir dos.Perfect, I'm going to order two.
- ElenaGracias, Alejandro.Thank you, Alejandro.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bubble tea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries boba, de, té, CC BY-SA 4.0.
