Where does “چای” come from?

چای (Chagatai) comes from Classical Persian چای, from Middle Chinese 茶, from Chinese 茶, from Proto-Loloish la¹, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la — leaf; tea; flat object.

چای (Chagatai): tea

Definitions

  1. tea

Ancestry of “چای”, step by step

چای traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Classical Persian چای

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Classical Persianچای—
2Middle Chinese茶—
3Chinese茶tea
4Proto-Loloishla¹tea
5Proto-Sino-Tibetans-laleaf; tea; flat object

via Classical Persian چَای

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Classical Persianچَای—
2Chinese Mandarin茶—

Words derived from “چای”

Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la →Every word from Proto-Loloish la¹ →Every word from Chinese 茶 →