Where does “茶” come from?
茶 (Middle Chinese) comes from Chinese 茶, from Proto-Loloish la¹, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la — leaf; tea; flat object.
Ancestry of “茶”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 茶 | tea |
| 2 | Proto-Loloish | la¹ | tea |
| 3 | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | s-la | leaf; tea; flat object |