ชา
chaa/t͡ɕʰaː˧/
The Thai word for tea, the drink made from the leaves of the tea plant, is ชา (chaa). If unsure, use ชา. Wiktionary also lists น้ำชา (náam-chaa).
Meaning: drink made from leaves of tea plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ชา | chaa | /t͡ɕʰaː˧/ |
| น้ำชา | náam-chaa | /naːm˦˥.t͡ɕʰaː˧/ |
ชา is the basic word for tea and also comes first in the names of many kinds of tea, such as green tea and milk tea.
What does it mean word for word?
น้ำชา (náam-chaa) is a compound of น้ำ, water and ชา, tea.
Which one should you use?
ชา refers to tea as a substance, including the leaves. น้ำชา specifically means tea as a liquid you drink.
How do you pronounce it?
ชา is said chaa, /tɕʰaː˧/, in one syllable with a long a and a mid, level tone.
Did you know?
- In Thailand, the phrase ชาเย็น ('cold tea') almost always refers to a bright orange milk tea sweetened with condensed milk rather than a plain iced tea.
- The word ชา is a homonym for the word 'numb', as in the feeling in your limbs after they fall asleep.
- Thai tea culture often involves ชาชัก ('pulled tea'), where the tea is poured back and forth between two containers from a height to create a frothy top.
Examples in context
- ฉันทำชาI made tea.ชา is the thing being made, I made tea.Tatoeba #8717373 by pastelite, translation #2245978 by CK
- ฉันชอบชาI like tea.ชา follows the verb for like.Tatoeba #7878721 by pastelite, translation #253293 by CK
- ฉันไม่ชอบชาI don't like tea.ไม่ชอบชา means don't like tea.Tatoeba #8675696 by pastelite, translation #1098278 by cntrational
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are meeting at a cafe.
- วิทวัส Witthawatคุณอยากดื่มชาไหมครับkhun yak duem cha mai krapWould you like to drink some tea?
- สิรินทร์ Sirinอยากค่ะ ขอเป็นชาร้อนนะคะyak kha kho pen cha ron na khaYes, I would. Hot tea, please.
- วิทวัส Witthawatผมจะสั่งชาให้เดี๋ยวนี้ครับphom ja sang cha hai diao ni krapI will order the tea for you right now.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinขอบคุณมากค่ะ วิทวัสkhop khun mak kha WitthawatThank you very much, Witthawat.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tea” translations and entries ชา, น้ำชา, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
