お茶をください
ocha o kudasai
In Japanese, "tea, please" is said as お茶をください (ocha o kudasai).
This phrase is a polite request used to ask for a serving of tea. You can make the request even more natural by saying Sumimasen, ocha o kudasai to mean "Excuse me, please give me tea."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ocha (tea), o (the object marker particle) and kudasai (please give me). The o at the beginning of ocha is an honorific prefix that makes the word for tea sound more polite and refined.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お茶をください is a standard polite way to make a request in a restaurant or shop. For a less formal situation, you can use Ocha choudai.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle o (を) marks ocha as the direct object of the verb kudasai.
How do you pronounce it?
ocha o kudasai
Did you know?
- If you are at a cafe and want a specific type of tea, you must specify koucha for black tea, as ocha almost always implies green tea.
- While お茶 usually refers to green tea, in a Japanese restaurant it is often served for free as a complimentary drink upon seating.
- In traditional tea ceremonies, the process of preparing and serving tea is governed by chado, the 'Way of Tea', which treats the act as a spiritual discipline.
Examples in context
- お茶をください。Ocha o kudasai.Tea, please.
- 温かいお茶をください。Atatakai ocha o kudasai.Warm tea, please.
- 冷たいお茶をください。Tsumetai ocha o kudasai.Cold tea, please.
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are at a traditional Japanese cafe.
- 陽太 Yota結衣、何を飲みますか？Yui, nani o nomimasu ka?Yui, what will you drink?
- 結衣 Yui私はお茶をください。Watashi wa ocha o kudasai.Tea for me, please.
- 陽太 Yotaわかりました。店員さん、お茶を二つください。Wakarimashita. Ten-in san, ocha o futatsu kudasai.I understand. Waiter, two teas please.
- 結衣 Yuiありがとうございます、陽太さん。Arigatou gozaimasu, Yota-san.Thank you, Yota.
