trà
[t͡ɕaː˨˩]
trà is the Vietnamese word for tea. Wiktionary also lists chè and nước trà.
Meaning: drink made from leaves of tea plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| trà | [t͡ɕaː˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʈaː˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| chè | [t͡ɕɛ˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [t͡ɕɛ˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| nước trà | [nɨək̚˧˦ t͡ɕaː˨˩] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| nước chè | [nɨək̚˧˦ t͡ɕɛ˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [nɨək̚˦˧˥ t͡ɕɛ˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
The word is used to describe the drink made from the leaves of the tea plant. You can use the phrase trà đá specifically to mean iced tea.
What does it mean word for word?
The term nước trà refers specifically to the liquid or infusion produced by the tea, rather than the dried leaves themselves.
Which one should you use?
While trà is the standard term, chè can also mean sweet dessert soups in many regions. Because of this ambiguity, context is necessary to determine if someone is talking about tea or a dessert.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the northern region of Vietnam, people use both chè and trà to refer to tea.
Did you know?
- The word nước means both 'water' and 'country'. This means nước trà literally translates as 'water tea' but can also evoke the image of a 'country of tea'.
- In Vietnam, tea is not just a drink but a social ritual. It is common to serve tea to guests immediately upon their arrival as a gesture of hospitality and respect.
- The word chè is a linguistic doublet of trà, meaning both words actually derive from the exact same Chinese character for tea.
Examples in context
- Có loại trà gì?What's for tea?This sentence is useful for asking what kind of tea is available using trà.Tatoeba #12132388 by phongvu, translation #11232009 by sundown
- Tôi sẽ uống trà.I would like to have a glass of tea.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to drink tea using trà.Tatoeba #5754819 by yippe, translation #4889854 by warrenbisch
- Thời gian uống trà!Time for tea!This sentence is useful for announcing it is time for tea using trà.Tatoeba #14034863 by nhuttan2004, translation #14029821 by araneo
- Em uống nước chè buổi sáng không?Do you drink tea in the morning?
- 35 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tuấn and Chi are sitting in a small cafe.
- TuấnEm muốn uống trà hay cà phê?Do you want to drink tea or coffee?
- ChiCho em một ly trà nóng nhé.Please give me a cup of hot tea.
- TuấnTrà này rất ngon.This tea is very delicious.
- ChiCảm ơn anh, trà thật là thơm.Thank you, the tea is very fragrant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tea” translations and entries trà, chè, nước chè, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (nước, trà) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chè, nước, nước chè, trà, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
