Where does “cha” come from?

Cha comes from Chinese 茶, which derives from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la, ultimately traced to Middle Korean 箸.

cha (English): tea, sometimes specifically masala chai; You;...

Definitions

  1. tea, sometimes specifically masala chai; You;...

Ancestry of “cha”, step by step

cha traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Hindi चा

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1HindiचाAlternative form of चाय
2Persianچاtea
3Chinese茶tea
4Proto-Loloishla¹tea
5Proto-Sino-Tibetans-laleaf; tea; flat object

via Korean 자

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean자letter, character; a person; 10
2Chinese者—

via English cha-cha

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcha-chaA ballroom dance to a Latin American rhythm; The...
2Spanishcha-cha—

Words derived from “cha”

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