Tea in Chinese 茶
chá
Tea in Chinese is 茶 (chá).
Also searched for as: chinese tea names, green tea, milk tea, bubble tea.
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Tea, 茶 (chá), has been part of Chinese daily life for centuries, from family kitchens to traditional teahouses. The basics are simple: you 泡茶 (pào chá) to make tea by steeping the leaves, and you can choose from 绿茶 (lǜ chá), 乌龙茶 (wū lóng chá) or fragrant 花茶 (huā chá). Words like 浓 (nóng), 'strong', and 淡 (dàn), 'weak', let you say exactly how you like your cup.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 茶叶 | chá yè | tea leaves |
| 泡茶 | pào chá | to make tea |
| 茶壶 | chá hú | teapot |
| 茶杯 | chá bēi | teacup |
| 绿茶 | lǜ chá | green tea |
| 红茶 | hóng chá | black tea |
| 乌龙茶 | wū lóng chá | oolong tea |
| 花茶 | huā chá | flower tea |
| 普洱茶 | pǔ ěr chá | pu'er tea |
| 奶茶 | nǎi chá | milk tea |
| 茶馆 | chá guǎn | teahouse |
| 浓 | nóng | strong |
| 淡 | dàn | weak; light |
| 烫 | tàng | scalding hot |
| 倒茶 | dào chá | to pour tea |
Usage tips
- When someone pours tea for you at a meal, tapping two fingers lightly on the table is a common way to say thank you, especially in southern China.
- Chinese tea is usually drunk without milk or sugar; 红茶加牛奶 (hóng chá jiā niú nǎi) is seen as a British or Hong Kong style, and 奶茶 (nǎi chá) usually means sweet milk tea from a shop.
- It's polite to pour for others before yourself and to fill cups only partway rather than to the brim, especially when serving older people.
Common mistakes
- Saying 做茶 for making a cup of tea: the natural verb is 泡 (pào), 'to steep', as in 我给你泡杯茶 (wǒ gěi nǐ pào bēi chá). 做茶 sounds like producing tea leaves.
- Using 热 (rè) for tea too hot to sip: 烫 (tàng) means scalding, so say 小心，很烫 (xiǎo xīn, hěn tàng).
- Translating 'strong tea' as 强茶 or 'weak tea' as 弱茶: say 浓茶 (nóng chá) and 淡茶 (dàn chá).
Mini dialogue
- A来，我给你泡杯茶。你喜欢喝什么茶？Lái, wǒ gěi nǐ pào bēi chá. Nǐ xǐ huan hē shén me chá?Here, let me make you some tea. What kind do you like?
- B绿茶吧，淡一点儿的。Lǜ chá ba, dàn yī diǎnr de.Green tea, please, quite weak.
- A好。小心，茶很烫。Hǎo. Xiǎo xīn, chá hěn tàng.There you go. Careful, it's very hot.
- B谢谢！这个茶杯真漂亮。Xiè xie! Zhè ge chá bēi zhēn piào liang.Thank you! This teacup is so pretty.
Example sentences
- 这是今年的新茶叶。These are this year's new tea leaves.
- 我给你泡杯茶。Let me make you a cup of tea.
- 茶壶里还有茶。There's still tea in the pot.
- 这个茶杯很漂亮。This teacup is very pretty.
- 夏天我喜欢喝绿茶。I like green tea in summer.
- 英国人喜欢喝红茶加牛奶。British people like black tea with milk.
- 乌龙茶很香。Oolong tea is very fragrant.
- 这是茉莉花茶。This is jasmine tea.
- 普洱茶是云南的。Pu'er tea comes from Yunnan.
- 奶茶店前面排着长队。There's a long queue outside the milk tea shop.
- 我们去茶馆坐坐吧。Let's go and sit in a teahouse.
- 这茶太浓了。This tea is too strong.
- 我喜欢淡一点儿的茶。I like my tea a bit weaker.
- 小心，茶很烫。Careful, the tea is very hot.
- 晚辈给长辈倒茶。The younger ones pour tea for their elders.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Tea speaking island has 8 everyday questions about tea to prepare your own answers to.