Etymology Explorer › English

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

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1HindiचाAlternative form of चाय
2Persianچاtea
3Chinese茶tea
4Proto-Loloishla¹tea
5Proto-Sino-Tibetans-laleaf; tea; flat object
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la →