How to say “tea” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
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A rising second tone with a strong retroflex 'ch'. 绿茶 (lǜchá) is green tea and 红茶 (hóngchá), literally 'red tea', is what English calls black tea. The word 'chai' comes from this same chá.
In a sentence
Nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi?
Do you drink tea or coffee?
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "tea" in Chinese?+
"tea" in Mandarin Chinese is 茶, pronounced chá. A rising second tone with a strong retroflex 'ch'. 绿茶 (lǜchá) is green tea and 红茶 (hóngchá), literally 'red tea', is what English calls black tea. The word 'chai' comes from this same chá.
What does 茶 mean literally?+
茶 breaks down as 茶 (chá) = tea. Together it means "tea".
How do I get the tones right in chá?+
A rising second tone with a strong retroflex 'ch'. 绿茶 (lǜchá) is green tea and 红茶 (hóngchá), literally 'red tea', is what English calls black tea. The word 'chai' comes from this same chá.
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