茶

See also: 苶 and 荼

茶	U+8336, 茶 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8336

← 茵
[U+8335]

CJK Unified Ideographs

茷 →
[U+8337]

茶	U+F9FE, 茶 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F9FE

← 什
[U+F9FD]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs

刺 →
[U+F9FF]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

茶 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 廿人木 (TOD), four-corner 4490₄, composition ⿳艹𠆢朩(GV) or ⿳艹𠆢木(HTJK))

Derived characters

搽

References

KangXi: page 1029, character 4
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30915
Dae Jaweon: page 1488, character 1
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3207, character 2
Unihan data for U+8336
Unihan data for U+F9FE

Chinese

trad.		茶
simp. ^#		茶
alternative forms		𣘻𦯬荼

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (余) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
斜	lja, laː
茶	*rlaː
荼	rlaː, ɦlja, *l'aː
梌	rlaː, l̥ʰaː, *l'aː
搽	*rlaː
塗	rlaː, l'aː
佘	*ɦlja
賒	*hljaː
畬	hljaː, la
舍	hljaːʔ, hljaːs
捨	*hljaːʔ
騇	hljaːʔ, hljaːs
涻	*hljaːs
稌	l̥ʰaː, l̥ʰaːʔ
悇	l̥ʰaː, l̥ʰas, *las
庩	*l̥ʰaː
捈	l̥ʰaː, l'aː
途	*l'aː
酴	*l'aː
駼	*l'aː
鵌	l'aː, la
涂	l'aː, l'a
嵞	*l'aː
峹	*l'aː
筡	l'aː, l̥ʰa
蒤	*l'aː
徐	*lja
俆	*lja
敘	*ljaʔ
漵	*ljaʔ
除	l'a, l'as
篨	*rla
滁	*rla
蒢	*rla
蜍	ɦlja, la
鵨	*hljaː
瑹	*hlja
余	*la
餘	*la
艅	*la
狳	*la
雓	*la
悆	*las

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *rlaː) : semantic 艹 + phonetic 余 (OC *la).

茶 originates as a graphical modification of archaic 荼 (OC *rlaː, *ɦlja, *l'aː, “bitter plant”), used for “tea” in classical sources.

Etymology

As tea may have originated from Sichuan, where the native Yi people speak Loloish languages, Sagart (1999) suggests that the Old Chinese item was possibly originally borrowed from Proto-Loloish *la¹ (“tea”), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-la (“leaf; tea”). Schuessler (2007) traces its ultimate origin to Proto-Austroasiatic *sla (“leaf”) (compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *slaʔ).

Alternatively, Qiu (1988) suggests that it might be a semantic extension of 荼 (OC *l'aː, “bitter plant”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): chá (cha²)
(Zhuyin): ㄔㄚˊ
(Chengdu, SP): ca²
(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): ца (ca, I)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): caa⁴
(Taishan, Wiktionary): ca³
Gan (Wiktionary): ca²
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): chhà
(Meixian, Guangdong): ca²
Jin (Wiktionary): ca¹
Min Bei (KCR): dâ
Min Dong (BUC): dà
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): tê / têe / tiêe / tâ / chhâ
(Teochew, Peng'im): dê⁵
Wu (Wiktionary): zo (T3)
Xiang (Wiktionary): za²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: chá
  - Zhuyin: ㄔㄚˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: chá
  - Wade–Giles: chʻa²
  - Yale: chá
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: char
  - Palladius: ча (ča)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰä³⁵/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: ca²
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: ca
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰa²¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: ца (ca, I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰa²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: caa⁴
  - Yale: chàh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsaa⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: ca⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaː²¹/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: ca³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰa²²/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: ca²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰa²⁴/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhà
  - Hakka Romanization System: caˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ca²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰa¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: ca²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰa¹¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: ca¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡sʰa¹¹/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: dâ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ta³³/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: dà
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ta⁵³/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Changtai, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tê
  - Tâi-lô: tê
  - Phofsit Daibuun: dee
  - IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Changtai, Taipei, Singapore): /te²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /te²³/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Zhangpu, Penang)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: têe
  - Tâi-lô: têe
  - IPA (Zhangpu): /tɛ²¹³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /tɛ¹³/
  - IPA (Penang): /tɛ²³/
- (Hokkien: Longyan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tiêe
  - Tâi-lô: tiêe
  - IPA (Longyan): /tiɛ¹¹/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tâ
  - Tâi-lô: tâ
  - Phofsit Daibuun: daa
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ta²³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Taipei): /ta²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ta¹³/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhâ
  - Tâi-lô: tshâ
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhaa
  - IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei): /t͡sʰa²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰa¹³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰa²³/

Note:

tê/têe - vernacular;
tâ, chhâ - literary.

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: dê⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tê
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /te⁵⁵/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: zo (T3)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /z̥o²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: za²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sa̠¹³/

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 茶
Mandarin	Beijing	/ʈ͡ʂʰa³⁵/
	Harbin	/ʈ͡ʂʰa²⁴/
	Tianjin	/t͡sʰɑ⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/ʈ͡ʂʰa⁴²/
	Qingdao	/ʈ͡ʂʰa⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/ʈ͡ʂʰa⁴²/
	Xi'an	/t͡sʰa²⁴/
	Xining	/t͡sʰa²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ʈ͡ʂʰa⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/ʈ͡ʂʰa⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/t͡sʰa⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/t͡sʰa²¹³/
	Chengdu	/t͡sʰa³¹/
	Guiyang	/t͡sʰa²¹/
	Kunming	/ʈ͡ʂʰa̠³¹/
	Nanjing	/ʈ͡ʂʰɑ²⁴/
	Hefei	/ʈ͡ʂʰa⁵⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/t͡sʰa¹¹/
	Pingyao	/t͡sɑ¹³/
	Hohhot	/t͡sʰa³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/zo²³/
	Suzhou	/zo¹³/
	Hangzhou	/d͡zɑ²¹³/
	Wenzhou	/d͡zo³¹/
Hui	Shexian	/t͡sʰa⁴⁴/
Hui	Tunxi	/t͡sɔ⁴⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/t͡sa¹³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/d͡zɒ¹²/
Gan	Nanchang	/t͡sʰɑ²⁴/
Hakka	Meixian	/t͡sʰa¹¹/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/t͡sʰɑ¹¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/t͡sʰa²¹/
	Nanning	/t͡sʰa²¹/
	Hong Kong	/t͡sʰa²¹/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/ta³⁵/ /te³⁵/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/ta⁵³/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/ta³³/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/te⁵⁵/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/ʔdɛ³¹/

Middle Chinese: /ɖˠa/

Rime
Character	茶
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	澄 (11)
Final (韻)	麻 (98)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	宅加切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɖˠa/
Pan Wuyun	/ɖᵚa/
Shao Rongfen	/ȡa/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɖaɨ/
Li Rong	/ȡa/
Wang Li	/ȡa/
Bernard Karlgren	/ȡʱa/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	chá
Expected Cantonese Reflex	caa⁴

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*rlaː/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	茶
Reading #	1/1
No.	15747
Phonetic component	余
Rime group	魚
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	𡨀
Old Chinese	/*rlaː/
Notes	俗𣘻字，荼轉註分化字

Definitions

茶

tea (plant, leaves)
種茶／种茶 ― zhòng chá ― to grow tea
tea (beverage made by infusing tea leaves in hot water)
綠茶／绿茶 ― lǜchá ― green tea
沏茶 ― qīchá ― to make tea
一杯茶 ― yī bēi chá ― a cup of tea
certain kinds of beverage or liquid food
涼茶／凉茶 ― liángchá ― Chinese herb tea
冬瓜茶 ― dōngguāchá ― winter melon punch
杏仁茶 ― xìngrénchá ― almond tea
Chinese medicine
午時茶／午时茶 ― wǔshíchá ― Afternoon Tea
yum cha
早茶 ― zǎochá ― morning yum cha
去茶樓飲餐茶 [Cantonese, trad.]
去茶楼饮餐茶 [Cantonese, simp.]
heoi³ caa⁴ lau⁴ jam² caan¹ caa⁴ [Jyutping]
to go yumcha at a dim sum restaurant
(obsolete) a moment (the time it takes to drink a cup of tea)
(dialectal Mandarin, Cantonese, Gan, Xiang, Wu) boiled or boiling water
a surname

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 茶 (“tea (drink)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		茶, 檟, 蔎, 茗, 荈
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		茶
Mandarin	Beijing	茶
	Taiwan	茶
	Harbin	茶
	Yantai (Muping)	茶
	Jinan	茶
	Luoyang	茶
	Wanrong	茶
	Xi'an	茶
	Yinchuan	茶
	Lanzhou	茶
	Xining	茶
	Ürümqi	茶
	Wuhan	茶
	Chengdu	茶
	Guiyang	茶
	Guilin	茶
	Liuzhou	茶
	Xuzhou	茶, 茶葉茶
	Yangzhou	茶, 茶葉茶
	Nanjing	茶
	Hefei	茶
	Nantong	茶葉茶
	Malaysia	茶
	Singapore	茶
Cantonese	Guangzhou	茶
	Hong Kong	茶
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	夷茶
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	茶
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	茶葉茶
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	茶葉茶
	Macau	茶
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	茶
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	茶
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	茶
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	茶
	Foshan	茶
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	茶
	Foshan (Shunde)	茶
	Foshan (Sanshui)	茶
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	茶
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	茶
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	茶
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	茶
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	茶
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	茶
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	茶
	Taishan	茶
	Kaiping (Chikan)	茶
	Enping (Niujiang)	茶
	Heshan (Yayao)	茶
	Dongguan	茶
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	茶
	Yangjiang	茶
	Beihai	茶
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	茶
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	茶
	Singapore (Guangfu)	茶
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	茶
Gan	Nanchang	茶, 茶葉茶
	Lichuan	茶
	Pingxiang	茶
Hakka	Meixian	茶
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	茶
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	茶
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	茶
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	茶
	Conghua (Lütian)	茶
	Yudu	茶
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	茶
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	茶
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	茶
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	茶
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	茶
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	茶
	Hong Kong	茶葉茶
	Senai (Huiyang)	茶
Huizhou	Jixi	茶
Jin	Taiyuan	茶
Min Bei	Jian'ou	茶
Min Dong	Fuzhou	茶
	Fuqing	茶
	Matsu	茶
	Singapore (Fuqing)	茶
Min Nan	Xiamen	茶
	Quanzhou	茶
	Zhangzhou	茶
	Taipei	茶
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	茶
	Kaohsiung	茶
	Yilan	茶
	Changhua (Lukang)	茶
	Taichung	茶
	Tainan	茶
	Hsinchu	茶
	Kinmen	茶
	Penghu (Magong)	茶
	Penang (Hokkien)	茶
	Singapore (Hokkien)	茶
	Manila (Hokkien)	茶
	Chaozhou	茶
	Shantou	茶
	Shantou (Chenghai)	茶
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	茶
	Jieyang	茶
	Haifeng	茶
	Bangkok (Teochew)	茶
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	茶
	Singapore (Teochew)	茶
	Pontianak (Teochew)	茶
	Leizhou	茶
	Wenchang	茶
	Haikou	茶
	Singapore (Hainanese)	茶
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	茶
Zhongshan Min	Sanxiang	茶
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	茶
Wu	Shanghai	茶葉茶
	Shanghai (Chongming)	茶葉茶
	Suzhou	茶, 茶葉茶
	Danyang	茶, 茶葉茶
	Hangzhou	茶
	Ningbo	茶, 茶葉茶
	Wenzhou	茶, 茶葉茶
	Jinhua	茶
Xiang	Changsha	茶, 茶葉茶
	Loudi	茶
	Shuangfeng	茶

Dialectal synonyms of 開水 (“boiled water”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		開水
Mandarin	Beijing	開水
	Taiwan	開水
	Tianjin	開水
	Harbin	開水
	Yantai (Muping)	開水
	Jinan	開水
	Luoyang	開水, 滾水
	Wanrong	滾水
	Xi'an	開水
	Yinchuan	滾水
	Xining	開水
	Ürümqi	開水, 滾水
	Wuhan	開水
	Chengdu	開水, 滾水
	Guiyang	開水
	Guilin	開水
	Liuzhou	開水
	Yangzhou	開水, 茶
	Xinghua	開水, 滾水, 透水
	Nanjing	開水
	Hefei	開水
	Malaysia	滾水, 燒水
	Singapore	白開水, 開水
Cantonese	Guangzhou	滾水, 茶
	Hong Kong	滾水
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	滾水
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	滾水
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	滾水
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	滾水
	Macau	滾水
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	滾水
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	滾水
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	滾水
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	滾水
	Foshan	滾水
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	滾水
	Foshan (Shunde)	滾水
	Foshan (Sanshui)	滾水
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	滾水
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	滾水
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	滾水
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	滾水
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	滾水
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	滾水
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	滾水
	Taishan	滾水
	Kaiping (Chikan)	滾水
	Enping (Niujiang)	滾水
	Heshan (Yayao)	滾水
	Dongguan	滾水
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	滾水
	Shenzhen (Dapeng)	滾水
	Qingyuan	滾水
	Fogang	滾水
	Yingde (Hanguang)	滾水
	Yangshan	滾水
	Lianshan (Butian)	滾水
	Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui)	滾水
	Shaoguan	開水
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	滾水
	Renhua	開心水
	Lechang	開水
	Zhaoqing (Gaoyao)	滾水
	Sihui	滾水
	Guangning	滾水
	Deqing	滾水
	Huaiji	滾水
	Fengkai (Nanfeng)	滾水
	Yunfu	滾水
	Xinxing	滾水
	Luoding	滾水
	Yunan (Pingtai)	滾水
	Yangjiang	滾水
	Xinyi	滾水
	Maoming (Xinpo)	滾水
	Lianjiang	滾水
	Wuchuan (Wuyang)	滾水
	Nanning	滾水
	Wuzhou	滾水
	Yulin	滾水
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	滾水
	Guiping	開水
	Mengshan (Xihe)	滾水
	Guigang (Nanjiang)	滾水
	Beiliu (Tangliao)	滾水
	Baise	開水
	Bobai	滾水
Lingshan	滾水
Pubei	滾水
Qinzhou	滾水
Beihai	滾水
Ningming	開水
Hengxian	泡心水
Hezhou (Pumen)	開水
Gan	Nanchang	開水, 茶
	Pengze	滾水
	Yanshan	濺水
	Lichuan	開水, 茶
	Pingxiang	開水, 茶
Hakka	Meixian	滾水, 沸水 dated
	Xingning	沸水
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	滾水
	Huiyang	沸水
	Huidong (Daling)	沸水
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	開水
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	沸水
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	沸水
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	沸水, 滾水
	Wuhua (Changbu)	沸水
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	沸水
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	滾水
	Wengyuan	滾水
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	滾開水
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	滾水
	Liannan	滾水
	Conghua (Lütian)	滾水
	Jiexi	滾水
	Luhe	滾水
	Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)	滾水
	Changting	滾水
	Wuping	滾水
	Wuping (Yanqian)	茶, 滾水
	Wuping (Pingyu)	滾水
	Liancheng	滾湯
	Ninghua	滾水
	Yudu	開水, 滾湯, 滾水
	Ningdu	開水
	Ruijin	煎湯
	Shicheng	滾水, 煎水
	Shangyou (Shexi)	爆水
	Tonggu (Sandu)	開水
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	開水
	Dayu	翻心水
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	滾水
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	滾水
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	滾水
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	滾水
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	滾水
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	滾水
	Hong Kong	沸水
	Yangxi (Tangkou)	滾水
	Yangchun (Sanjia)	滾水
	Xinyi (Sihe)	滾水
	Xinyi (Qianpai)	滾水
	Gaozhou (Xindong)	滾水, 開水
	Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai)	滾水
	Huazhou (Xin'an)	滾水
	Lianjiang (Shijiao)	滾水
	Lianjiang (Qingping)	滾水
	Mengshan (Xihe)	滾水
	Luchuan	滾水
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	開水
	Beiliu (Tang'an)	開水
	Mashan (Pianlian)	開水
	Senai (Huiyang)	滾水, 沸水 dated
	Singkawang	滾水
Huizhou	Jixi	滾水, 開水
Jin	Taiyuan	開水, 滾水
	Datong (Xicetian, Yunzhou)	開水, 熬水
	Xinzhou	滾水
Min Bei	Jian'ou	滾湯, 開水
	Jian'ou (Dikou)	滾湯
	Zhenghe (Zhenqian)	滾湯
	Pucheng (Shibei)	沸水, 茶
Min Dong	Fuzhou	開水, 滾湯
Min Dong	Gutian	開水
Min Nan	Xiamen	滾水
	Quanzhou	滾水
	Zhangzhou	滾水
	Taipei	白茶, 滾水
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	滾水
	Kaohsiung	滾水
	Yilan	滾水
	Changhua (Lukang)	滾水
	Taichung	滾水
	Tainan	滾水
	Hsinchu	滾水
	Kinmen	滾水
	Penghu (Magong)	滾水
	Penang (Hokkien)	滾水
	Singapore (Hokkien)	滾水
	Manila (Hokkien)	滾水
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	開水
	Guilin (Biyange)	滾水
	Chaozhou	滾水
	Shantou	滾水
	Shantou (Chenghai)	滾水
	Jieyang	滾水
	Haifeng	滾水
	Leizhou	沸水
	Wenchang	沸水
	Haikou	沸水
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	沸水
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	滾水
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	開水
	Guilin (Liutang, Lingui)	開水
	Lingchuan (Sanjie)	開水
	Lingchuan (Shuangzhou)	開水
Shehua	Fu'an	沸水
	Fuding	沸水
	Luoyuan	沸水
	Sanming	沸水
	Shunchang	沸水
	Hua'an	沸水
	Guixi (Zhangping)	沸水
	Cangnan	沸水
	Jingning	沸水
	Lishui	沸水
	Longyou	沸湯
	Chaozhou	滾水
	Fengshun	滾水
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	開水
	Yuanling (Shaojiwan)	開水
	Luxi (Liangjiatan)	開水
Wu	Shanghai	開水, 茶水, 滾水, 滾湯
	Shanghai (Chongming)	茶
	Suzhou	開水, 茶, 滾水
	Danyang	開水, 滾水, 茶
	Hangzhou	開水
	Ningbo	開水, 滾水, 茶
	Wenzhou	開水, 茶湯
	Jinhua	開水, 滾湯, 茶
Xiang	Changsha	開水, 茶, 滾水子
	Loudi	開水, 滾水
	Shuangfeng	開水
	Quanzhou	開水
	Qinglong (Changliu Laba Miao)	開水, 滾水

Compounds

Derived terms from 茶

一茶
七品茶
七家茶
七星茶 (qīxīngchá)
七碗茶
下午茶 (xiàwǔchá)
下小茶
下茶
串茶
乳茶
五花茶 (wǔhuāchá)
仙人掌茶
代茶
作茶
供茶
倒茶 (dàochá)
借茶活捉
六安茶
六班茶
分茶
分茶店
剜刺挑茶
功夫茶
北苑茶
午茶
半熟茶
受茶
吃碗茶
吃空茶
吃茶 (chīchá)
告茶
品茶 (pǐnchá)
啜茶
喝茶 (hēchá)
土茶
奉茶
奶茶 (nǎichá)
官茶
宣茶
小茶
山茶 (shānchá)
岕茶
巡茶
工夫茶 (gōngfuchá)
年茶
幻茶
建茶
引茶
待茶
打茶
拜茶
挑茶斡刺
接茶
搉茶
撤茶
散茶
新茶 (xīnchá)
早茶 (zǎochá)
明德茶
春茶 (chūnchá)
晚茶
普洱茶 (pǔ'ěrchá)
末茶 (mòchá)
杏仁茶 (xìngrénchá)
果茶
枸杞茶
柳眼茶
桂花茶 (guìhuā chá)
梅水茶
椒茶
榷茶
毛尖茶
毛茶 (máochá)
沏茶 (qīchá)
沙茶 (shāchá)
沱茶
油茶 (yóuchá)
泡茶 (pàochá)
清茶 (qīngchá)
瀹茶
火前茶
炙茶
烹茶 (pēngchá)
焙茶
煎茶 (jiānchá)
熟茶
熬茶
片茶
珠露茶
甘茶
生茶
用茶
畾茶
痷茶
白茶 (báichá)
的乳茶
盼盼茶茶
看茶 (kànchá)
真茶
私茶
秋茶
素分茶
素茶
老人茶
肉骨茶 (ròugǔchá)
膏茶
花茶 (huāchá)
芽茶 (yáchá)
苦茶
苦茶油
茉莉花茶 (mòlìhuā chá)
茗茶 (míngchá)
茶上
茶亭 (chátíng)
茶仙
茶令
茶元 (Cháyuán)
茶具 (chájù)
茶包 (chábāo)
茶匙 (cháchí)
茶博士
茶品 (chápǐn)
茶商 (cháshāng)
茶坊 (cháfáng)
茶墨
茶夫
茶客 (chákè)
茶室 (cháshì)
茶寮 (cháliáo)

茶局子
茶屋
茶市 (cháshì)
茶底
茶座 (cházuò)
茶引
茶役
茶房 (cháfáng)
茶托 (chátuō)
茶敬
茶旗
茶晶 (chájīng)
茶末
茶杯 (chábēi)
茶果
茶桌
茶梅 (cháméi)
茶棚 (Chápéng)
茶榷
茶毗
茶水 (cháshuǐ)
茶油 (cháyóu)
茶法
茶灶
茶炊 (cháchuī)
茶焙
茶煲
茶盅 (cházhōng)
茶碗 (cháwǎn)
茶碾子
茶社 (cháshè)
茶神
茶禁
茶筅 (cháxiǎn)
茶粥
茶精油
茶素
茶缸子 (chágāngzi)
茶肆 (chásì)
茶膏
茶舞
茶船
茶色 (chásè)
茶花 (cháhuā)
茶花女
茶芽
茶茗
茶茶
茶荈
茶菁
茶菊
茶行
茶衣
茶褐
茶褐色 (cháhèsè)
茶道 (chádào)
茶酒 (chájiǔ)
茶金
茶青 (cháqīng)
茶食 (cháshi)
茶鼎
茶鼓
草茶
菊花茶 (júhuā chá)
蜀茶
行茶
起茶
送茶
酥油茶 (sūyóuchá)
金花茶
阿茶
雨前茶 (yǔqiánchá)
食茶 (shíchá)
香茶
高果子茶
麻茶
黑茶 (hēichá)
黦茶
榷酒征茶
茶几 (chájī)
采茶歌
一盞茶時／一盏茶时
一茶頃／一茶顷
七寶茶／七宝茶
三茶六禮／三茶六礼
三茶六飯／三茶六饭
不茶不飯／不茶不饭
九節茶／九节茶
乾烘茶／干烘茶
乾茶錢／干茶钱
兒茶／儿茶 (érchá)
六龜茶／六龟茶
包種茶／包种茶 (bāozhòngchá)
午時茶／午时茶
吃講茶／吃讲茶
團茶／团茶
大茶壺／大茶壶
女兒茶／女儿茶
孩兒茶／孩儿茶 (hái'érchá)
家常茶飯／家常茶饭
寶珠山茶／宝珠山茶
寶珠茶／宝珠茶
小兒感冒茶／小儿感冒茶
惡茶白賴／恶茶白赖
打茶圍／打茶围
打茶會／打茶会
採茶／采茶 (cǎichá)
採茶戲／采茶戏 (cǎicháxì)
採茶歌／采茶歌
攢茶／攒茶
會茶／会茶
板藍根茶／板蓝根茶
柴米油鹽醬醋茶／柴米油盐酱醋茶 (chái mǐ yóu yán jiàng cù chá)
棍兒茶／棍儿茶
楊妃山茶／杨妃山茶
楊妃茶／杨妃茶
欒茶／栾茶
殘茶剩飯／残茶剩饭
沒吃茶／没吃茶
沖茶／冲茶 (chōngchá)
油茶麵／油茶面
油茶麵兒／油茶面儿
泡沫紅茶／泡沫红茶
泡茶館／泡茶馆
浪酒閒茶／浪酒闲茶
涼茶／凉茶 (liángchá)
淡飯清茶／淡饭清茶
清茶淡話／清茶淡话
清茶淡飯／清茶淡饭

澗茶／涧茶
濃茶／浓茶 (nóngchá)
烏龍茶／乌龙茶 (wūlóngchá)
無茶／无茶
獻茶／献茶
白鶴茶／白鹤茶
盤龍茶／盘龙茶
磚茶／砖茶 (zhuānchá)
粗茶淡飯／粗茶淡饭 (cūchádànfàn)
紅茶／红茶 (hóngchá)
紅茶花節／红茶花节
細葉山茶／细叶山茶
綠茶／绿茶 (lǜchá)
網路茶屋／网路茶屋
緊壓茶／紧压茶
繡茶／绣茶
臘茶／腊茶
茶儀／茶仪
茶圍／茶围
茶園／茶园 (cháyuán)
茶壺／茶壶 (cháhú)
茶庵嶺／茶庵岭 (Chá'ānlǐng)
茶思飯想／茶思饭想
茶戶／茶户
茶攤兒／茶摊儿
茶會／茶会 (cháhuì)
茶棧／茶栈
茶業／茶业 (cháyè)
茶槍／茶枪
茶樓／茶楼 (chálóu)
茶樹／茶树 (cháshù)
茶毘／茶毗
茶毛蟲／茶毛虫
茶水錢／茶水钱
茶湯／茶汤 (chátāng)
茶湯壺／茶汤壶 (chátānghú)
茶湯會／茶汤会
茶滷／茶卤 (chálǔ)
茶燈／茶灯
茶瓜送飯，好人有限／茶瓜送饭，好人有限
茶盞／茶盏
茶盤／茶盘 (chápán)
茶磚／茶砖 (cházhuān)
茶禮／茶礼
茶筍／茶笋
茶籮／茶箩 (cháluó)
茶紅酒禮／茶红酒礼
茶經／茶经 (Chájīng)
茶綱／茶纲
茶莊／茶庄
茶葉／茶叶 (cháyè)
茶葉末／茶叶末
茶葉蛋／茶叶蛋 (cháyèdàn)
茶葉鹼／茶叶碱
茶藝／茶艺 (cháyì)
茶藝館／茶艺馆
茶蠶／茶蚕
茶話／茶话 (cháhuà)
茶話會／茶话会 (cháhuàhuì)
茶課／茶课
茶質／茶质
茶農／茶农 (chánóng)
茶遲飯晏／茶迟饭晏
茶鋪／茶铺
茶錢／茶钱 (cháqián)
茶鍾／茶钟
茶鏡／茶镜 (chájìng)
茶鏽／茶锈 (cháxiù)
茶鐺／茶铛
茶頭／茶头
茶顛／茶颠
茶飯／茶饭 (cháfàn)
茶飯不思／茶饭不思
茶飯無心／茶饭无心
茶餅／茶饼 (chábǐng)
茶餘／茶余
茶餘客話／茶余客话
茶餘酒後／茶余酒后 (cháyújiǔhòu)
茶餘飯後／茶余饭后 (cháyúfànhòu)
茶餘飯飽／茶余饭饱
茶館／茶馆 (cháguǎn)
茶馬市／茶马市
茶鹼／茶碱 (chájiǎn)
茶麵子／茶面子
茶點／茶点 (chádiǎn)
藥茶／药茶 (yàochá)
蠟茶／蜡茶
蠟面茶／蜡面茶
蠻茶／蛮茶
試茶／试茶
調茶／调茶
謝媒茶／谢媒茶
讓茶／让茶
貢茶／贡茶
贊茶／赞茶
趙州茶／赵州茶
迦堅茶寒／迦坚茶寒
過茶／过茶
邊茶／边茶
酒後茶餘／酒后茶余
酒餘茶後／酒余茶后
釅茶／酽茶 (yànchá)
錠子茶／锭子茶
閒茶浪酒／闲茶浪酒
閔茶／闵茶
陸羽茶／陆羽茶
隨茶隨飯／随茶随饭
雲霧茶／云雾茶
頓茶頓飯／顿茶顿饭
頭茶／头茶
飲茶／饮茶 (yǐnchá)
餅茶／饼茶 (bǐngchá)
養茶／养茶
騎火茶／骑火茶
鬥茶／斗茶
鬧茶／闹茶
鳩槃茶／鸠槃茶
鳩盤茶／鸠盘茶
麵茶／面茶 (miànchá)
黃茶／黄茶 (huángchá)
點花茶／点花茶
點茶／点茶
齪茶／龊茶
龍井茶／龙井茶
龍湫茶／龙湫茶
龍芝茶／龙芝茶
龍茶／龙茶
龍鳳團茶／龙凤团茶
龍鳳茶／龙凤茶

Descendants

See 茶/derived terms § Tea (Chinese).

References

“茶”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學／香港中文大学 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A03475

Japanese

Kanji

茶

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

tea

Readings

Go-on: じゃ (ja)^{←ぢや (dya, historical)}
Kan-on: た (ta)
Tō-on: さ (sa, Jōyō)
Kan’yō-on: ちゃ (cha, Jōyō)

Compounds

お茶(ちゃ) (ocha): tea
烏(ウー)竜(ロン)茶(ちゃ) (ūroncha): oolong tea
喫(きっ)茶(さ)店(てん) (kissaten): tearoom; café
紅(こう)茶(ちゃ) (kōcha): black tea
古(こ)茶(ちゃ) (kocha): tea from last year
粉(こな)茶(ちゃ) (konacha): dust tea
新(しん)茶(ちゃ) (shincha): new tea of the year
茶(ちゃ)色(いろ) (chairo): brown
茶(ちゃ)園(えん) (chaen): tea plantation
茶(ちゃ)会(かい) (chakai): tea party
茶(ちゃ)器(き) (chaki): teaware
茶(ちゃ)匙(さじ) (chasaji): teaspoon
茶(ちゃ)の湯(ゆ) (chanoyu): tea ceremony
茶(ちゃ)畑(ばたけ) (chabatake): tea plantation
品(ひん)茶(ちゃ) (hincha): tea evaluation; a game of drinking varieties of tea and guessing them correctly
焙(ほう)じ茶(ちゃ) (hōjicha): roasted green tea
抹(まっ)茶(ちゃ) (matcha): maccha, matcha
無(む)茶(ちゃ) (mucha): reckless
緑(りょく)茶(ちゃ) (ryokucha): green tea

Etymology

茶 (cha): a cup of tea.

Kanji in this term
茶
ちゃ Grade: 2
kan’yōon

From various dialects of Middle Chinese 茶 (MC ɖˠa). Compare modern Mandarin reading chá, Hakka chhà, Cantonese caa⁴.

Pronunciation

Kan’yōyomi

(Tokyo) ちゃ [chà] (Heiban – [0])[1]
IPA^(key): [t͡ɕa̠]

Noun

茶(ちゃ) • (cha)

tea (not used in isolation in modern Japanese)
brown

Usage notes

This term is not used on its own in modern Japanese. For the tea sense, this is used either with the honorific prefix お (o-), or in a compound such as 茎(くき)茶(ちゃ) (kukicha, literally “stem tea”) or 緑(りょく)茶(ちゃ) (ryokucha, “green tea”).

お茶(ちゃ)はいかがですか。
Ocha wa ikaga desuka.
How about some tea? (Would you like some tea?)

For the brown sense, this is used with the color suffix 色(いろ) (iro), as in 茶(ちゃ)色(いろ) (chairo, “brown”, literally “tea color”).

Synonyms

茗(めい) (mei) (rare)

Descendants

→ Ainu: チャ (ca)
→ Nivkh: ча (ț’a)

References

2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology 1

From Early Mandarin 茶 (EM *tʂʰaᴸᴸ). Compare modern Mandarin reading chá, Hakka chhà, Cantonese caa⁴.

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʰa̠]
Phonetic hangul: [차]

Hanja

Wikisource茶 (eumhun 차 차 (cha cha))

Hanja form^? of 차 (“tea”).

Usage notes

This reading is used as a standalone word to mean "tea."

Compounds

차례 (茶禮, charye, “ancestral rites; Charye”)
녹차 (綠茶, nokcha)
말차 (抹茶, malcha)
홍차 (紅茶, hongcha)
찻잔 (茶盞, chatjan)
차반 (茶盤, chaban)
냉차 (冷茶, naengcha, “iced tea”)
찻장 (茶欌, chatjang, “tea cabinet”)
차구 (茶具, chagu)

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 茶 (MC ɖˠa).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	땅 (Yale: ttà)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
Text	*Gloss (hun)*	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527	차 (Yale: chà)	다 (Yale: tà)

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ta̠]
Phonetic hangul: [다]

Hanja

茶 (eumhun 차 다 (cha da))

(only in compounds) Hanja form^? of 다 (“tea”).
(only in compounds) Hanja form^? of 다 (“brown”).

Compounds

다식 (茶食, dasik)
다과 (茶菓, dagwa)
다기 (茶器, dagi)
다구 (茶具, dagu)
다방 (茶房, dabang)
다화 (茶話, dahwa, “tea-table talk”)
다색 (茶色, dasaek)
끽다 (喫茶, kkikda)
다소 (茶素, daso, “caffeine”)
다과회 (茶菓會, dagwahoe, “tea club”)
다반사 (茶飯事, dabansa, “everyday affair”)
다갈색 (茶褐色, dagalsaek)

References

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

茶: Hán Việt readings: trà[1][2][3][4][5][6]
茶: Nôm readings: trà[1][2][3], chè[1][2][3], chà[1], sà[1], già[1][2], chòe/choè[1][2]

chữ Hán form of trà (“tea”).
Nôm form of chè (“tea”).

References

Nguyễn (2014).
Nguyễn et al. (2009).
Trần (2004).
Trần (1999).
Nguyễn (1974).
Thiều Chửu (1942).

[DJR-1] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[tdcndg-2] Nguyễn (2014).

[tdcntd-3] Nguyễn et al. (2009).

[gdhn-4] Trần (2004).

[tvctdhv-5] Trần (1999).

[hvttd-6] Nguyễn (1974).

[tchvtd-7] Thiều Chửu (1942).