茶 meaning and stroke order
Tea; tea plant
How to write 茶, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 茶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- tea
- tea plant
How 茶 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 茶
A person 人 sits between the grass 艹 on top and the tree 木 below, picking leaves from a plant. The grass radical 艹 tells you 茶 (chá) is a plant, the tea plant.
茶 (chá) means tea, both the drink and the leaves. It appears in many everyday words like 绿茶 (lǜchá) green tea, 奶茶 (nǎichá) milk tea and 茶叶 (cháyè) tea leaves. Example: 你想喝茶吗？(Nǐ xiǎng hē chá ma?) Do you want to drink tea?
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 茶 (chá) with 荼 (tú), which looks almost the same but has an extra horizontal stroke in the middle. Also remember that 红茶 (hóngchá) is called black tea in English, even though 红 means red.
Common words with 茶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 奶茶 | nǎichá | milk tea | HSK 3 |
| 绿茶 | lǜchá | green tea; (slang) (of a girl) seemingly innocent and charming but actually calculating an | HSK 3 |
| 红茶 | hóngchá | black tea | HSK 3 |
| 茶叶 | cháyè | tea; tea leaves | HSK 4 |
| 茶道 | chádào | Japanese tea ceremony; sado | HSK 7-9 |
| 茶馆儿 | cháguǎnr | erhua form of 茶館|茶馆[cha2 guan3] | HSK 7-9 |
| 喝茶 | hēchá | to drink tea; to get engaged | |
| 泡茶 | pàochá | to make tea | |
| 茶壶 | cháhú | teapot | |
| 茶水 | cháshuǐ | tea prepared in large quantity using inexpensive tea leaves | |
| 下午茶 | xiàwǔchá | afternoon tea (light afternoon meal, typically pastries with tea or coffee) | |
| 茶杯 | chábēi | teacup; tea-glass | |
| 热茶 | rèchá | hot tea | |
| 茶会 | cháhuì | tea party |
茶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 茶
Learning 茶 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 茶
How many strokes are in 茶?
茶 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 茶 mean?
茶 (chá) means tea; tea plant. A common word with it is 奶茶 (nǎichá), meaning "milk tea".
How do you pronounce 茶?
茶 is pronounced chá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 茶?
The radical of 茶 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 茶 under this radical.
Is 茶 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 茶 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 喝茶 and 泡茶?
喝茶 (hē chá) means to drink tea. 泡茶 (pào chá) means to make or brew tea by pouring hot water over the leaves.
Why does 绿茶 sometimes describe a person?
In modern slang, 绿茶 (lǜchá) can describe a girl who seems innocent and sweet but is actually calculating. Use it carefully, because it is an insult.