Tea in Different Languages
Discover 'Tea' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Tea
Afrikaans tee | ||
Albanian çaj | ||
Amharic ሻይ | ||
Arabic شاي | ||
Armenian թեյ | ||
Assamese চাহ | ||
Aymara tiyi | ||
Azerbaijani çay | ||
Bambara te | ||
Basque tea | ||
Belarusian гарбату | ||
Bengali চা | ||
Bhojpuri चाय | ||
Bosnian čaj | ||
Bulgarian чай | ||
Catalan te | ||
Cebuano tsaa | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 茶 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 茶 | ||
Corsican tè | ||
Croatian čaj | ||
Czech čaj | ||
Danish te | ||
Dhivehi ސައި | ||
Dogri चाह् | ||
Dutch thee | ||
English tea | ||
Esperanto teo | ||
Estonian tee | ||
Ewe tii | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) tsaa | ||
Finnish teetä | ||
French thé | ||
Frisian tee | ||
Galician té | ||
Georgian ჩაი | ||
German tee | ||
Greek τσάι | ||
Guarani kojói | ||
Gujarati ચા | ||
Haitian Creole te | ||
Hausa shayi | ||
Hawaiian tī | ||
Hebrew תה | ||
Hindi चाय | ||
Hmong tshuaj yej | ||
Hungarian tea | ||
Icelandic te | ||
Igbo tii | ||
Ilocano tsaa | ||
Indonesian teh | ||
Irish tae | ||
Italian tè | ||
Japanese お茶 | ||
Javanese teh | ||
Kannada ಚಹಾ | ||
Kazakh шай | ||
Khmer តែ | ||
Kinyarwanda icyayi | ||
Konkani च्या | ||
Korean 차 | ||
Krio ti | ||
Kurdish çay | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) چا | ||
Kyrgyz чай | ||
Lao ຊາ | ||
Latin tea | ||
Latvian tēja | ||
Lingala the | ||
Lithuanian arbata | ||
Luganda caayi | ||
Luxembourgish téi | ||
Macedonian чај | ||
Maithili चाय | ||
Malagasy dite | ||
Malay teh | ||
Malayalam ചായ | ||
Maltese te | ||
Maori tī | ||
Marathi चहा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯆꯥ | ||
Mizo thingpui | ||
Mongolian цай | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လက်ဖက်ရည် | ||
Nepali चिया | ||
Norwegian te | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) tiyi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଚା | ||
Oromo shaayee | ||
Pashto چاى | ||
Persian چای | ||
Polish herbata | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) chá | ||
Punjabi ਚਾਹ | ||
Quechua te | ||
Romanian ceai | ||
Russian чай | ||
Samoan ti | ||
Sanskrit चाय | ||
Scots Gaelic tì | ||
Sepedi teye | ||
Serbian чај | ||
Sesotho tee | ||
Shona tii | ||
Sindhi چانھ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) තේ | ||
Slovak čaj | ||
Slovenian čaj | ||
Somali shaah | ||
Spanish té | ||
Sundanese téh | ||
Swahili chai | ||
Swedish te | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) tsaa | ||
Tajik чой | ||
Tamil தேநீர் | ||
Tatar чәй | ||
Telugu టీ | ||
Thai ชา | ||
Tigrinya ሻሂ | ||
Tsonga tiya | ||
Turkish çay | ||
Turkmen çaý | ||
Twi (Akan) tii | ||
Ukrainian чай | ||
Urdu چائے | ||
Uyghur چاي | ||
Uzbek choy | ||
Vietnamese trà | ||
Welsh te | ||
Xhosa iti | ||
Yiddish טיי | ||
Yoruba tii | ||
Zulu itiye |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Afrikaans 'tee' is not related to English 'tea', but rather is probably derived from Malay 'teh'. |
| Albanian | The word "çaj" (tea) derives from the Chinese "cha" via Turkish "çay." |
| Amharic | The word 'ሻይ' in Amharic, which means 'tea', is derived from the Oromo word 'shaayi', which ultimately comes from the Chinese word 'chá'. |
| Arabic | "شاي" is not just a beverage in Arabic, but also a measure of weight used in the spice trade. |
| Armenian | In the Armenian language, the word "թեյ" (tea) is also a slang term for "rum". |
| Azerbaijani | In some dialects, the Azerbaijani word "çay" can refer to a decoction of herbs, fruits, or flowers that is not actual black, green, or herbal tea. |
| Basque | The word "tea" in Basque also refers to a kind of broth, especially that made from fish or meat and cooked in a pan. |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "гарбату" comes from the Persian word "gorbāt", which means "flower" or "herb". |
| Bengali | "চা" is a common term in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh, derived from the Chinese word "cha". |
| Bosnian | The word "čaj" can also mean "a treat" or "a reception" in Bosnian. |
| Bulgarian | The word "чай" is also used in Bulgarian to refer to infusions of herbs or berries, and is cognate to the Persian word for "tea". |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "te" can be a masculine or feminine noun referring to fabrics, or a masculine noun referring to a place to keep animals. |
| Cebuano | "Tsaa" comes from the Chinese word "cha", meaning "tea tree". It can also refer to the medicinal properties of tea. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "茶" is the original name for a camellia cultivar used for tea and has been extended to mean all plants in the genus _camellia_ in Chinese. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character '茶' (tea) is derived from the pictogram of a tea plant and a hand, suggesting its early use as a beverage. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "tè" also refers to the plant Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St John's wort. |
| Croatian | The word "čaj" in Croatian can also refer to any type of non-alcoholic drink, such as juice or coffee, especially when consumed for medicinal purposes. |
| Czech | In Czech, "čaj" can also refer to a generic herb or herbal infusion, not just specifically tea leaves. |
| Danish | In Danish "te" is not only used for the common tea infusion, it is also the word used for decoctions made from various herbs such as peppermint tea (pebermyntete). |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "thee" can also refer to a kind of fabric or a bundle of yarn. |
| Esperanto | The word "teo" also refers to the plant Camellia sinensis in Esperanto. |
| Estonian | In Estonian, the word "tee" can also refer to a road or path. |
| Finnish | Its origin is the Minnan Chinese word "tê" (IPA: tʰe) with the same meaning, which originated from the Hokkien "the", the Cantonese "cha" and the Japanese "cha" (茶). |
| French | The French word "thé" stems from the Min Nan Chinese "te". |
| Frisian | The word "tee" in Frisian can also mean "herb". |
| Galician | In Galician, "té" also means "you" (informal second person singular pronoun). |
| Georgian | The word "ჩაი" can also refer to a type of Georgian fermented milk drink made from yogurt, similar to kefir. |
| German | In German, 'Tee' also refers to a T-shirt, while in English 'T' is commonly used to abbreviate 'teaspoon'. |
| Greek | The Greek word "τσάι" can also refer to any herbal tea, such as chamomile or mint. |
| Gujarati | "ચા" is also a Gujarati word for "to be". This is probably because the sound of the word "ચા" is similar to the sound of the word "to be" in Gujarati. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "te" also means "herb," "medicine," or "remedy" |
| Hausa | "Shayi" derives from the Chinese "cha", possibly via its Malay and Swahili forms. |
| Hawaiian | Tī is also used as a general term for medicines prepared from plants, roots, and barks. |
| Hebrew | In addition to meaning "tea", תה also denotes "dew" or "divine light" in biblical Hebrew. |
| Hindi | "चाय" also derives from Sanskrit "त्रायते," and literally means "a drink that protects" or "that saves" due to its perceived beneficial health effects. |
| Hmong | In Hmong, the word "tshuaj yej" literally translates to "bitter medicine," reflecting its medicinal history as a traditional herbal drink. |
| Hungarian | Té is the Hungarian word for "tea", but it can also mean "mood" or "mind" in a figurative sense. |
| Icelandic | In Old Norse, **te** meant "a meal". |
| Igbo | Tii in Igbo, beyond its meaning as "tea", has alternate usages like "to wash" or "to clean". |
| Indonesian | Teh comes from the Hokkien Chinese word "te", an alternative pronunciation of "cha". |
| Irish | "Tà" also means "plague, disease, pestilence" in Irish, and was used in the names of several illnesses (like "táin bó cúailnge", meaning "the cattle disease of Cooley") and the goddess Aoibhinn, who personified the plague. |
| Italian | "Tè" derives from the Hokkien Chinese word "te" and was originally used to refer to any infused beverage, not just tea. |
| Japanese | The word 「お茶」 (tea) can also refer to an informal gathering where people enjoy tea and sweets. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, the word "teh" can also refer to a type of herbal tea made from leaves other than those of the tea plant. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word "ಚಹಾ" (tea), which comes from the Persian "چای" (chây) and the Chinese "荼" (tú) (herbal drink), also has an alternate meaning: "a type of tree", referring to the "teak" tree in specific (Tectona grandis). |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "шай" is derived from the Chinese word "cha" and also refers to herbal infusions made without tea leaves. |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "តែ" (tea) also means "only" and is used to indicate exclusivity or limitation. |
| Korean | The Korean word '차' (tea) also refers to a meal or food, as in the expression '차 먹다' (to eat). |
| Kurdish | çay (چای) can also mean 'herb, herbal tea, decoction' in Kurdish, and is related to the Chinese 格英 ('chá'). |
| Kyrgyz | In Kyrgyz, the word "чай" can also mean "infusion" or "drink made from boiled water with added ingredients." |
| Lao | In the dialect of some Lao ethnic groups, "ຊາ" can also refer to plants in the Citrus genus, such as oranges and grapefruits. |
| Latin | In Latin, “tea” can also mean 'a torch', 'a brand', or 'a firebrand'. |
| Latvian | The word "tēja" is of Chinese origin, ultimately deriving from Hokkien-language "te". |
| Lithuanian | The word "arbata" in Lithuanian is derived from the Persian word "herbata" and originally referred to herbal tea. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Téi" is also used to refer to a "herbal infusion", or tisane. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "чај" can also refer to the wildflower species "Salvia glutinosa." |
| Malagasy | The word "dite" also means "conversation" in Malagasy, possibly referencing the social aspect of tea consumption. |
| Malay | The word "teh" in Malay also refers to the bitter liquid extract of the coffee bean. |
| Malayalam | In Malayalam, "ചായ" (tea) is also used to refer to a type of medicinal tree whose leaves are used to make herbal tea. |
| Maltese | The word "te" in Maltese is likely derived from the Chinese "cha" and can also refer to herbal teas such as chamomile or anise. |
| Maori | The word "tī" in Māori originally referred to the cabbage tree, whose leaves were brewed to make a drink similar to tea. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "चहा" (tea) derives from the Chinese "cha" meaning "young leaves", which likely entered Marathi via the Portuguese "chá". |
| Mongolian | In Mongolian, the word "цай" ("tea") also refers to other beverages like alcohol and milk-based drinks. |
| Nepali | The Nepali word "चिया" also refers to a type of herbal tea made from the leaves of the Himalayan nettle plant. |
| Norwegian | The word "te" in Norwegian can also mean "a sip" when used as a noun. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "tiyi" has alternate meanings including "a thin porridge" and "a beverage made from millet or sorghum." |
| Pashto | While "چاى" means "tea" in Pashto, it also means "water" in some dialects. |
| Persian | The word چای (chây) in Persian is derived from the Chinese word 茶 (chá), which was introduced to Persia during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). |
| Polish | In Polish, 'herbata' is thought to derive from the Chinese word 'cha', meaning 'young leaves of the tea plant', which was brought to Europe by the Dutch in the 17th century. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, the word "chá" can also refer to a specific type of herbal tea made from the leaves of the orange tree. |
| Punjabi | The word |
| Romanian | Ceai derives from the Chinese phrase "cha ye," meaning "leaf of the tea plant," and has multiple meanings in Romanian, including tea, infusion, and medicinal beverage. |
| Russian | The word 'чай' ('tea') in Russian is derived from the Chinese word 'chá' meaning 'young leaf', and also refers to the plant species Camellia sinensis. |
| Samoan | Ti also refers to the hibiscus plant and its medicinal purposes in Samoan tradition |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "tì" can also refer to a cup of tea or an infusion. |
| Serbian | The word "чај" can also refer to a traditional Serbian herbal drink made from a variety of flowers, herbs, and spices. |
| Sesotho | The word " tee " is borrowed from English, and in addition to meaning "tea", can also refer to a kind of small, round cake. |
| Shona | The word "tii" is used in Shona to refer to both "tea" and "tree bark." |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word 'چانھ' (tea) likely originates from the Hindustani word 'चाय' (chai), which in turn may have originated from the Chinese word '茶' (chá). |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | Sinhala word "තේ" also refers to the tea plantation |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "čaj" also refers to a specific type of herbal tea made from linden blossoms, known as "lipový čaj." |
| Slovenian | The word “čaj” has other meanings in Slovenian, namely “a plant growing in water or marshes or a drink made from such a plant.” |
| Somali | In Somali, "shaah" can also be translated to "a drink" or "a beverage." |
| Spanish | "Té" comes from Chinese "cha" via Portuguese "chá" and its meaning has also expanded to "herbal tea". |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "téh" comes from "seuh" (leaf), and the word is also used to describe other types of leaves or small trees |
| Swahili | In Swahili, 'chai' can also be used to refer to a specific type of herbal tea made from black tea and spices. |
| Swedish | The word "te" derives from the Hokkien Chinese word "tê", meaning bitter liquid. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Tsaa" (tea) is derived from the Hokkien word "te", which in turn comes from the Min Chinese word "cha". |
| Tajik | The word "чой" comes from the Chinese word "茶" (chá), and also refers to a type of green tea that is popular in Tajikistan. |
| Tamil | The word |
| Telugu | The word "టీ" (tea) is derived from the Chinese word "荼" (tú), which refers to a bitter herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. |
| Thai | The word "ชา" likely derives from the Chinese word "茶" (chá), but it can also mean "leaf" or "herb" in Thai. |
| Turkish | "Çay" in Turkish came to refer to Camellia sinensis teas via the Chinese "cha". It also refers to various herbal infusions. |
| Ukrainian | "Чай" may also mean "drink" in general or "liquor" in Ukrainian. |
| Urdu | چائے originated in Persian and is related to Chinese "chá", which in turn came from Yue Chinese "tê". |
| Uzbek | The word "choy" in Uzbek, meaning "tea," is derived from the Chinese word "cha" through the Middle Persian "chāy". |
| Vietnamese | In China, "tra" originally meant a medicinal brew of herbs but evolved to describe infusions of leaves; in Vietnam, it was shortened to "trà." |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "te" is cognate with the English word "tea," but its origin lies in the Chinese "chá" (茶) meaning "leaf." |
| Xhosa | The word 'iti' in Xhosa also refers to a type of wild spinach. |
| Yiddish | טיי (tea in Yiddish) is an abbreviation of the Chinese word "茶" (chá) and the Russian word "чай" (chay) |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba 'tii' also means to be sufficient. |
| Zulu | Derived from Chinese 'chaye', 'itiye' also means 'tree with bitter leaves'. |
| English | Tea originated from the Chinese word 'cha' and arrived in English via Dutch 'thee'. |