茶
tê
The Hokkien word for "tea" is 茶 (tê).
茶 refers to the drink made from the leaves of the tea plant. In casual settings, the term Ch'ah-pn̄g is used to specify tea as a beverage.
Meaning: drink made from leaves of tea plant (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
tê
Did you know?
- The term Ch'ah-pn̄g adds the word for 'rice' or 'grain' pn̄g to the end, even though there is no grain in the tea.
- While 'tea' is a standard noun, in some Hokkien-speaking contexts, saying you 'drink tea' is a polite way to describe a business negotiation or a formal meeting.
- In the Hokkien spoken in Southeast Asia, the word for 'tea' is frequently blended with local languages, such as Malay, to create unique hybrid terms for specific types of street tea.
Examples in context
- 我愛啉茶。guá ài lim cha.I love drinking tea.
- 這碗茶真好啉。tsit uán cha tsin hó lim.This cup of tea is very good to drink.
- 你想欲啉啥物茶？lí siūⁿ beh lim siánn-mi̍h cha?What kind of tea do you want to drink?
Example conversation
Guo Qiang and Xiao Wen are sitting in a cafe.
- 國強 Kok-kiang曉雯，你想喝茶嗎？Xiǎo-wén, lí siáng hiam tî m̄?Xiao Wen, do you want to drink tea?
- 曉雯 Hiau-bun我想喝，謝謝國強。Wá siáng hiam, tō-siā Guó-qiáng.I do, thank you Guo Qiang.
- 國強 Kok-kiang我們要點綠茶還是紅茶？Gún ài tiám li̍k-tî hái-sī âng-tî?Should we order green tea or black tea?
- 曉雯 Hiau-bun我想喝綠茶。Wá siáng hiam li̍k-tî.I want to drink green tea.
