shaah
/ˈʃæ̂ːh/masculine
The Somali word for tea is shaah.
shaah refers to the drink made from the leaves of the tea plant.
Meaning: drink made from leaves of tea plant (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
shaah is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʃæ̂ːh/
Did you know?
- While the word shaah refers to the drink, a person might use the word 'shaah' to indirectly refer to the entire social ritual of sitting down to talk.
- In many Somali households, if you are offered shaah, it is often served with spices like cardamom or cloves rather than just milk and sugar.
- The word shaah is a linguistic traveler that entered Somali via Arabic, making it a distant relative of the English 'tea'.
Examples in context
- Ma shaah baa jira?Is there tea?
- Shaah kulul ma rabtaa?Do you want hot tea?
Example conversation
Nimco and Mustafa are relaxing in the living room.
- NimcoMustafa, ma rabtaa shaah?Mustafa, do you want tea?
- MustafaHaa, fadlan, waan rabaa.Yes, please, I do.
- NimcoMa rabtaa sokor ku jira shaaha?Do you want sugar in the tea?
- MustafaMaya, shaah madow ayaa ii fiican.No, black tea is better for me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tea” translations and entries shaah, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries shaah, CC BY-SA 4.0.
