In this vocabulary lesson, you will learn how to say “tea” in Japanese. I will show you a total of 10 words that are used for the most popular types of tea such as “green tea“, “black tea“, “milk tea“, “bubble tea“, and “oolong tea“. Let’s start by learning the most common way to say “tea” in Japanese.
Ocha (お茶) is the most commonly used word to say tea in Japanese. However, the more specific words koucha (紅茶) for “black tea”, and matcha (抹茶) for “powdered green tea”, and houjicha (ほうじ茶) for “roasted green tea” are also frequently used. For non-Japanese tea the loanword tii (ティー) is also common.
Read on if you want to check out all 10 Japanese words for “tea“. After the names for different tea variants, you will also learn some advanced words for “sweet tea“, “hot tea“, “iced tea“, as well as a couple of useful sentences such as “I want to drink tea” or “I don’t drink tea“.
How to Say “Tea” in Japanese
- ocha – お茶
- tapioka – タピオカ
- miruku tii – ミルクティー
- koucha – 紅茶
- ryokucha – 緑茶
- houjicha – ほうじ茶
- maccha – 抹茶
- sencha – 煎茶
- uuroncha – ウーロン茶
- tii – ティー
1. Ocha – Most Common Way to Say “Tea” in Japanese
Ocha (お茶) is the most commonly used word to say “tea” in Japanese. It consists of two parts, the polite prefix o (お), and the basic word for tea which is cha (茶). While basically just the word “cha” can be used to say “tea” in Japanese it is better to use the polite expression ocha (お茶).
ocha
お茶
tea (polite expression)cha
茶
tea
In this short video, you can see how to write the Japanese word for tea “ocha” in kanji:
2. Bubble Tea – Tapioka
Tapioka (タピオカ) and tapioka tii (タピオカティー) are the two common ways to say “bubble tea” in Japanese. However, the first and shorter one tapioka is most commonly used in conversations because Japanese like to shorten everything as much as possible.
tapioka
タピオカ
bubble tea
tapioca (food)tapioka tii
タピオカティー
bubble tea
pearl milk tea
boba milk tea
On some menus, you will also find the name tapioka miruku tii (タピオカミルクティー) which literally translates as “tapioca milk tea” or tapioka dorinku (タピオカドリンク) which translates into English as “tapioca drink“.
tapioka miruku tii
タピオカミルクティー
pearl milk tea
boba milk tea
bubble tea
tapioca milk teatapioka dorinku
タピオカドリンク
bubble tea
tapioca drink
3. Milk Tea – Miruku Tii
Miruku Tii (ミルクティー) is the Japanese word for “milk tea“. It consists of two English loanwords, miruku (ミルク), which means “milk“, and tii (ティー) for “tea“. Another word is roiyaru miruku tii (ロイヤルミルクティー) which translates as “royal milk tea” and is used when the tea has a higher ratio of milk to water.
miruku tii
ミルクティー
milk tea
roiyaru miruku tii
ロイヤルミルクティー
royal milk tea
(higher ratio of milk to water)
4. Black Tea – Koucha
Koucha (紅茶) is the Japanese word for “black tea“. The first kanji 紅 (kou) is actually used for deep red, crimson, or any other red-containing color like brown. So literally translated the word koucha means “deep red tea“. That’s because for Japanese people the color of black tea is closer to dark red.
koucha
紅茶
black tea
5. Green Tea – Ryokucha
The Japanese word ryokucha (緑茶) means “green tea” or “Japanese (green) tea” in English. It literally consists of the kanji for green or greenery, which is 緑 (midori), and the kanji for tea which is 茶 (cha), and is the overall term for green tea in Japan including Sencha, Matcha, Hochicha, and more.
ryokucha
緑茶
green tea
Japanese (green) tea
6. Roasted Green Tea – Houjicha
Houjicha (ほうじ茶), also written as hojicha, is the Japanese name for “roasted green tea” and one of my favorite tea variants by far. The tea leaves are roasted which gives them a very nice and slightly sweet caramel-like aroma (source). When you are in Japan you have to try houjicha!
houjicha
ほうじ茶
roasted green tea
7. Powdered Green Tea (Matcha) – Maccha
Matcha or maccha (抹茶) is the name of the famous and popular powdered green tea you can drink when visiting sushi restaurants in Japan or when you attend a Japanese tea ceremony. The green tea powder is usually mixed with hot water but at most cafes, you can also order an iced matcha latte.
maccha
抹茶
matcha
powdered green tea
8. Non-Powdered Green Tea – Sencha
Sencha (煎茶) is the name of a specific type of ryokucha (緑茶) or green tea. It also translates as “green tea“, or more specifically as “non-powdered green tea” or “green leaf tea“. In restaurants when you ask for ocha (お茶) you will often get this type of tea.
sencha
煎茶
green tea
green leaf tea
non-powdered green tea
9. Oolong Tea – Uuroncha
Uuroncha (ウーロン茶) is the Japanese word for “oolong tea“. Oolong is actually a traditional Chinese tea, but it is also very popular in Japan. In case you don’t drink any alcohol like me, it is one of the most common non-alcoholic drinks you can order when you go to an izakaya in Japan.
uuroncha
ウーロン茶
oolong tea
10. Tii – English Loanword Meaning “Tea”
There is also an English loanword for “tea” in Japanese which is tii (ティー). While, generally speaking, the word can be used to ask for “tea” or talk about it, it is mostly used in names of certain types of tea such as miruku tii (ミルクティー) or jasumin tii (ジャスミンティー), for example.
tii
ティー
tea
Advanced Japanese Words Related to “Tea”
- sweet tea – 甘いお茶
- hot tea – 温かいお茶
- cold tea – 冷たいお茶
- iced tea – アイスティー
- afternoon tea – アフタヌーンティー
- tea ceremony – 茶道
Sweet Tea – Amai Ocha
Amai ocha (甘いお茶) is how to say “sweet tea” in Japanese. The first word amai (甘い) translates as “sweet“, “sweet-tasting“, or “sugared“, and ocha (お茶) is the most commonly used word for “tea” as we have discussed before. However, drinking sweet tea is not common in Japan.
amai ocha
甘いお茶
sweet tea
Hot Tea – Atatakai Ocha
Atatakai ocha (温かいお茶) translates as “hot tea” or “warm tea” and is typically used when you want to ask for hot or warm tea in Japanese. The first word atatakai (温かい) means “warm” or “hot“. When it is cold in Japan you will automatically get warm tea, so you don’t have to explicitly ask for it.
atatakai ocha
温かいお茶
hot tea
Cold Tea – Tsumetai Ocha
Tsumetai ocha (冷たいお茶) is how you say “cold tea” in Japanese. The i-adjective tsumetai (冷たい) means “cold (to the touch)” and is used for objects or other things that feel cold when you touch them. After the adjective you just add the Japanese word for tea, which is ocha (お茶), to say “cold tea”.
tsumetai ocha
冷たいお茶
cold tea
Afternoon Tea – Afutaanuun Tii
Afutaanuun tii (アフタヌーンティ) is the English loanword that is used to say “afternoon tea” in Japanese. It’s the Japanized versions of the English words “afternoon” and “tea”. The original Japanese expression is oyatsu (お八つ), which translates as “afternoon snack” but also “afternoon tea“.
afutaanuun tii
アフタヌーンティ
afternoon teaoyatsu
お八つ
afternoon snack
afternoon tea
Tea Ceremony – Chadou
The Japanese word for “tea ceremony” is chadou (茶道). Literally translated the word means “the way of tea“. Cha (茶), the first Chinese character, means “tea“, and michi or dou (道), the second kanji, means “way” or “road“. Join one to see the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha.
chadou
茶道
tea ceremony
How to Say “Drink Tea” in Japanese
- I drink tea – お茶は飲む
- I do not drink tea -お茶は飲まない
- I like tea – お茶が好き
- I want to drink tea – お茶を飲みたい
I Drink Tea – Ocha wa Nomu
Ocha wa nomu (お茶は飲む) is the casual way to say “I drink tea“, and ocha wa nomimasu (お茶は飲みます) is the politer version that you should use in formal situations. It means that you regularly drink tea or like to drink tea on a daily basis. The word nomu (飲む) is the Japanese verb for “to drink“.
Ocha wa nomu.
お茶は飲む。
I drink tea.Ocha wa nomimasu.
お茶は飲みます。
I drink tea. (polite)
When you want to say “I’m drinking tea (right now)“, you have to use the forms nondeiru (飲んでいる) or its more formal version, which is nondeimasu (飲んでいます).
Ocha o nondeiru.
お茶を飲んでいる。
I’m drinking tea.Ocha o nondeimasu.
お茶を飲んでいます。
I’m drinking tea. (polite)
I Do Not Drink Tea – Ocha wa Nomanai
The expression ocha wa nomanai (お茶は飲まない) is how you say “I do not drink tea” or “I don’t drink tea” in Japanese. However, in formal situations, the politer ocha wa nomimasen (お茶は飲みません) sounds more appropriate. Nomanai and nomimasen both translate as “not drink” or “don’t drink“.
Ocha wa nomanai.
お茶は飲まない。
I don’t drink tea.Ocha wa nomimasen.
お茶は飲みません。
I do not drink tea. (polite)
I Like Tea – Ocha ga Suki
Ocha ga suki (お茶が好き) means “I like tea” in Japanese. The meaning of the word suki (好き) is to “like” and the expression “…ga suki” (〇〇が好き) is used for things you like or you like doing. You can make the expression more formal by adding the polite copula desu (です) at the end of the sentence.
Ocha ga suki.
お茶が好き。
I like tea.
Ocha ga suki desu.
お茶が好きです。
I like tea (polite)
You can read more about the word suki and find other useful examples of how to use it in my blog post: The Real Meaning of Suki in Japanese (Like & Love). Of course, the word daisuki (大好き) can also be used in this situation, but be careful not to overuse it, since it is considered pretty strong.
I Want to Drink Tea – Ocha Nomitai
In casual situations, ocha nomitai (お茶飲みたい) is the most commonly used way to say “I want to drink tea” in Japanese. However, in formal situations, it is better to use the polite expression ocha o nomitai desu (お茶を飲みたいです). Nomitai (飲みたい) and nomitai desu (飲みたいです) both translate as “want to drink“.
Ocha nomitai.
お茶を飲みたい。
I want to drink tea.Ocha o nomitai desu.
お茶を飲みたいです。
I want to drink tea. (polite)
