茉莉花茶
mòlìhuā chá
Jasmine tea in Chinese is 茉莉花茶 (mòlìhuā chá).
茉莉花茶 is the most common way to say jasmine tea in Mandarin Chinese. If you want to refer specifically to the jasmine flower itself, you can use 茉莉花.
Meaning: Chinese tea (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 茉莉花茶 is composed of 茉莉花 (mòlìhuā), meaning jasmine flower and 茶 (chá), meaning tea.
Which one should you use?
While 茉莉花茶 is the standard term, you may encounter other forms: 茉莉香片 specifically refers to jasmine tea leaves or jasmine-scented tea leaves and 茉莉茶 is a shortened version used in casual speech where the character for flower is omitted.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In southern China, you may see 茉莉绿茶 used to specify that the jasmine tea being referred to is a green tea-based variety.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term 茉莉花 can be used on its own to refer to the jasmine plant or its scent, whereas 茉莉花茶 is used specifically for the beverage.
How do you pronounce it?
mòlìhuā chá
Did you know?
- In traditional scenting, the tea leaves in 茉莉花茶 are not mixed with the flower but act as a sponge to absorb the fragrance from fresh blossoms overnight.
- The word 茶 (chá) in 茉莉花茶 is the direct ancestor of the English word 'tea' via the Dutch traders who borrowed the Hokkien pronunciation.
- The phrase 茉莉花 is the central subject of a famous folk song that symbolizes the purity and modesty of a young woman in Chinese culture.
Examples in context
- 这是不是茉莉花茶？Is this jasmine tea?This sentence is useful for asking if a beverage is 茉莉花茶.Tatoeba #2225651 by Tximist, translation #458955 by CM
- 我想要一杯茉莉花茶。I would like a cup of jasmine tea.
- 请给我一包茉莉香片。Please give me a package of jasmine tea leaves.
- 我们喝点茉莉茶吧！Let's have some jasmine tea!
- 你喜欢喝茉莉绿茶还是红茶？Do you prefer drinking jasmine green tea or black tea?
- 我想喝茉莉花茶。Wǒ xiǎng hē mòlìhuāchá.I want to drink jasmine tea.
- 这种茉莉花茶很香。Zhè zhǒng mòlìhuāchá hěn xiāng.This jasmine tea is very fragrant.
Example conversation
At a Chinese restaurant, Zi Han asks Zhi Qiang about the drink menu.
- 梓涵 Zihan志强，这里有茉莉花茶吗？Zhìqiáng, zhèlǐ yǒu mòlìhuāchá ma?Zhi Qiang, is there jasmine tea here?
- 志强 Zhiqiang有的，服务员正在准备。Yǒu de, fúwùyuán zhèngzài zhǔnbèi.Yes, the waiter is preparing it.
- 梓涵 Zihan太好了，我非常喜欢茉莉花茶。Tài hǎo le, wǒ fēicháng xǐhuān mòlìhuāchá.Great, I like jasmine tea very much.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我也觉得它很好喝。Wǒ yě juéde tā hěn hǎohē.I also think it tastes good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jasmine tea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
