奶茶
nǎichá
The English phrase milk tea is translated into Chinese as 奶茶 (nǎichá).
奶茶 refers to a beverage containing a combination of cow's milk and tea.
Meaning: beverage containing a combination of cow's milk and tea (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 奶茶 is a compound of 奶, meaning milk and 茶, meaning tea.
Which one should you use?
While 奶茶 is the general term, other specific types exist: 奶綠 (nǎi lǜ) refers to a Taiwanese-style milk tea made from green tea leaves and 港式奶茶 (gǎng shì nǎi chá) refers to Hong Kong-style milk tea.
How do you pronounce it?
nǎichá
Did you know?
- In some parts of Inner Mongolia and Tibet, 奶茶 is traditionally served as a salty beverage rather than a sweet one.
- Hong Kong-style 奶茶 is often called 'silk stocking milk tea' because the cloth filters used to strain the tea resemble a stocking.
- The term 奶茶 is often used in modern Chinese urban slang to describe a 'treat' or a small luxury used to relieve stress after a long work day.
Examples in context
- 今天的使命：奶茶跟麻糬。Today's mission: milk tea with mochi.Tatoeba #417726 by GlossaMatik, translation #417724 by FeuDRenais
- 奶茶在哪里？Where is the milk tea?Tatoeba #482367 by adjusting, translation #32223 by Swift
- 我要一杯奶茶，半糖少冰I would like a cup of milk tea, half sweet, less ice.
- 我想喝一杯奶茶。Wǒ xiǎng hē yì bēi nǎichá.I want to drink a cup of milk tea.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to order at a cafe.
- 伟 Wei佳怡，你想喝什么？Jiāyí, nǐ xiǎng hē shénme?Jiayi, what do you want to drink?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想要一杯奶茶。Wǒ xiǎng yào yì bēi nǎichá.I want a cup of milk tea.
- 伟 Wei那我也点一杯奶茶。Nà wǒ yě diǎn yì bēi nǎichá.Then I will also order a milk tea.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好，我们一起喝吧。Hǎo, wǒmen yìqǐ hē ba.Okay, let's drink together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk tea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
