차
cha[t͡ɕʰa̠]
The Korean word for tea is 차 (cha).
차 is the most common and versatile word for tea in Korean. It is used to refer to a drink made from the leaves of a tea plant. If you want to be specific about the type of tea, you can use 녹차 for green tea, 우롱차 for oolong tea or 홍차 for black tea. Note that while 차 refers to tea, it can also mean 'car' depending on the context of your sentence.
Meaning: drink made from leaves of tea plant (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 차 is the general term for tea, specific varieties like 녹차 (green tea), 우롱차 (oolong tea) and 홍차 (black tea) are used to distinguish the type of leaf or processing used.
How do you pronounce it?
cha
When do people say it?
In Korean culture, traditional beverages include items like 수정과, a traditional cinnamon punch made with dried persimmons and ginger.
Did you know?
- In Korea, the term 차 is used for any steeped beverage, including infusions made from corn, barley or cinnamon, even though these are not botanically tea.
- While 차 is the standard term, you might encounter the word 다 in specific contexts, such as the name of a tea ceremony, 다도, which uses a different character for tea.
- The pronunciation of the Sino-Korean word for tea, 차, is a direct phonetic descendant of the Early Mandarin pronunciation of the character 茶.
Examples in context
- 차 한잔 해, 톰.Drink your tea, Tom.This sentence shows how to use 차 when telling someone to drink their tea.Tatoeba #11105542 by intertime, translation #2647708 by CK
- 내 차는 너무 달다.My tea is too sweet.This sentence uses 차 to describe the sweetness of the tea.Tatoeba #11105660 by intertime, translation #1987392 by CM
- 그녀는 차 한 잔을 주문했다.She ordered a cup of tea.This sentence demonstrates using 차 when ordering a cup of tea.Tatoeba #11105194 by intertime, translation #313596 by CK
- 차 한 잔 주세요.Please give me a cup of tea.
- 차 마실래?Do you want to have tea?
- 녹차 한 잔 마셔봐.Have a cup of green tea.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are sitting in a quiet cafe.
- 도현 Do-hyeon서연 씨, 무슨 차 마실래요?Seo-yeon ssi, mu-seun cha ma-sil-lae-yo?Seoyeon, what kind of tea would you like to drink?
- 서연 Seo-yeon저는 시원한 차가 마시고 싶어요.jeo-neun si-won-han cha-ga ma-si-go si-peo-yo.I want to drink some cold tea.
- 도현 Do-hyeon그럼 아이스 티로 주문할게요.geu-reom a-i-seu ti-ro ju-mun-hal-ge-yo.Then I will order an iced tea.
- 서연 Seo-yeon고마워요, 도현 씨.go-ma-wo-yo, Do-hyeon ssi.Thank you, Dohyeon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tea” translations and entries 차, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 차, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
