茶
chá
The word cha means tea, and in Chinese it is 茶 (chá).
茶 names the drink itself and also appears in the names of many kinds of tea.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guangdong people commonly say 饮茶 for drink tea, and in Fujian oolong tea is called 乌龙.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is chá, one syllable with the rising second tone.
Did you know?
- In Cantonese-speaking regions like Guangdong, the phrase 饮茶 (drink tea) is often used as a synonym for 'brunch' or 'dim sum'.
- Because the word 茶 is almost identical to the word for 'tea' in many other languages, it is thought that the term traveled along ancient trade routes from China to the rest of the world.
- The character 茶 is believed by some linguists to be a visual evolution of the ancient word 荼, which originally meant a 'bitter plant'.
Examples in context
- 我想喝茶。Wǒ xiǎng hē chá.I want to drink tea.
- 这杯茶很香。Zhè bēi chá hěn xiāng.This cup of tea smells wonderful.
- 你会泡茶吗？Nǐ huì pào chá ma?Do you know how to brew tea?
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are sitting in a quiet cafe.
- 伟 Wei你想喝咖啡还是茶？Nǐ xiǎng hē kāfēi háishì chá?Do you want to drink coffee or tea?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我更喜欢喝茶。Wǒ gèng xǐhuān hē chá.I prefer drinking tea.
- 伟 Wei这里的绿茶不错。Zhèlǐ de lǜchá bùcuò.The green tea here is quite good.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好的，那就点绿茶吧。Hǎo de, nà jiù diǎn lǜchá ba.Okay, let's order the green tea then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 茶, CC BY-SA 4.0.
