What does cha mean in japanese

How to say “tea” in Japanese

There are multiple ways to say “tea” in Japanese. In most cases, however, Japanese native speakers would say “ocha”. This is a general word for ‘tea’. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail and how to use it through an example sentence. And also, I will explain its related words based on their kanji expressions. My explanations would help Japanese learners to say “tea” properly in Japanese. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• What does “ocha” mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “tea” in Japanese
• What does “ryokucha” mean in Japanese?
• “Ryokucha” in kanji
  • Example #2: how to say “green tea” in Japanese
• What does “matcha” mean in Japanese?
• “Matcha” in kanji
  • Example #3: how to say “matcha” in Japanese
• What does “koucha” mean in Japanese?
• “Koucha” in kanji
  • Example #4: how to say “black tea” in Japanese
• Summary

What does “ocha” mean in Japanese?

Below are the definition and meaning of “ocha”.

• ocha – お茶 (おちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘tea’ in Japanese. In many cases, this word refers to ‘green tea’, not ‘black tea’.

Very simple, but let me explain more in detail. Grammatically this word consists of the two parts: “o” and “cha”. The first one is a prefix making its following word polite; the second means ‘tea’. So, we can consider “ocha” as the polite expression of “cha”. And actually, it is. A lot of Japanese people use this polite expression in conversations, as they think that they should show respect to food and drink as well as their listeners.

Then, let me explain how to use “ocha” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “tea” in Japanese

kyou ocha wo nomi mashi ta ka – 今日お茶を飲みましたか (きょうおちゃをのみましたか)

Did you drink tea today?

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, it works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “today”.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is used after “ocha” to make the object word in the sentence.
• nomi – 飲み (のみ) : one conjugation of the verb, “nomu”, which means ‘to drink’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it sound polite. In the example, this is used after “nomi” to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after the verb phrase, “nomi mashi”, to make its past tense form, “nomi mashi ta”.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As its definition suggests, it is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.

This is a typical usage of “ocha”. When we want to say ‘tea’ in Japanese, this word is the best choice.

Since “ocha” is a general word for ‘tea’, its meaning can be ambiguous. When we want to say specifically what kind of tea, the following words are useful: “ryokucha”, “matcha”, and “koucha”. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain these words one by one.

What does “ryokucha” mean in Japanese?

Below are the definition and meaning of “ryokucha”.

• ryokucha – 緑茶 (りょくちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘green tea’ in Japanese.

So, “ryokucha” is a specific word for ‘green tea’. When we want to say “green tea” specifically in Japanese, this word is very useful. To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Ryokucha” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “ryokucha”.

• 緑 : a kanji character used to mean ‘green’.
• 茶 : the same as explained already. This kanji means ‘tea’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “ryokucha” literally means ‘green tea’ in Japanese. So, what its kanji characters express is completely in line with its meaning.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “ryokucha” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “ryokucha” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “green tea” in Japanese

watashi tachi wa ryokucha wo nomi mashi ta – 私達は緑茶を飲みました (わたしたちはりょくちゃをのみました)

We had green tea.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is used after “watashi tachi” to make the subject word in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “ryokucha”. When we want to say “green tea” in Japanese, this word is the best choice.

What does “matcha” mean in Japanese?

Below are the definition and meaning of “matcha”.

• matcha – 抹茶 (まっちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘matcha’ in Japanese.

This was imported from Japanese to English, and now is very famous, I think. This word is necessary and important because “green tea” and “matcha” are very different. To understand the difference, let me explain these two kanji characters in detail.

“Matcha” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “matcha”.

• 抹 : a kanji character used to mean ‘powderize’, ‘pulverize’, or such in Japanese.
• 茶 : the same as explained already. This kanji means ‘tea’ in Japanese.

From these kanji characters, we can understand that “matcha” means ‘powderized green tea’. This kanji concept represents well how matcha is processed. It is, in reality, more than just powderized green tea, though.

Then, let me explain how to use “matcha” through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “matcha” in Japanese

kare wa matcha wo nomi mashi ta – 彼は抹茶を飲みました (かれはまっちゃをのみました)

He had matcha.

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “matcha”. When we want to say “matcha” in Japanese, this word is definitely the best choice.

What does “koucha” mean in Japanese?

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “koucha” as follows.

• koucha – 紅茶 (こうちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘black tea’ in Japanese.

This word is a specific word for ‘black tea’, and never means ‘green tea’. To understand the reason, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Koucha” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “koucha”.

• 紅 : a kanji character used to mean ‘deep red’ or ‘crimson’ in Japanese.
• 茶 : the same as explained already. This kanji means ‘tea’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “koucha” literally means ‘deep red tea’. So, in the Japanese language, black tea can be considered as deep red tea. Or perhaps I should say, black tea looks deep red to Japanese people. This kanji concept is fair enough, I think. Black tea is really deep red, isn’t it?

Then, let me explain how to use “koucha” through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “black tea” in Japanese

kanojo wa koucha wo nomi mashi ta – 彼女は紅茶を飲みました (かのじょはこうちゃをのみました)

She had black tea.

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “koucha”. When we want to say “black tea” in Japanese, this word is the best choice.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “ocha” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained its related words based on their kanji expressions. Let me summarize them as follows.

• ocha – お茶 (おちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘tea’ in Japanese. In many cases, this word refers to ‘green tea’, not ‘black tea’. Grammatically this word consists of the two parts: “o” and “cha”. The first one is a prefix making its following word polite; the second means ‘tea’. So, “ocha” is the polite expression of “cha”. Japanese native speakers normally use this polite expression to mean ‘tea’ in Japanese.
• ryokucha – 緑茶 (りょくちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘green tea’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘green tea’. When we want to say “green tea” specifically in Japanese, this word is the best choice.
• matcha – 抹茶 (まっちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘matcha’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘powderized green tea’. This kanji concept represents well how matcha is processed. When we want to say “matcha” in Japanese, this word is the best choice.
• koucha – 紅茶 (こうちゃ) : a noun meaning ‘black tea’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘deep red tea’. When we want to say “black tea” in Japanese, this word is the best choice.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

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