What does 茶 mean in Japanese?
茶 means tea. Its key word is お茶 (ocha), which covers green tea specifically and tea or a tea break in general: お茶しませんか is an invitation to chat over a drink, not necessarily tea.
The usual reading is チャ, as in 茶色 (chairo, brown) and 紅茶 (koucha, black tea). A second on’yomi サ appears in 茶道 (sadou, the tea ceremony) and 喫茶店 (kissaten, an old-style cafe). Like 肉, 茶 has no kun’yomi: the on’yomi does all the work. The grass radical on top hints that tea is a plant.
Reading
On’yomi: チャ (cha), サ (sa)
Kun’yomi: —
Basic Information
| Kanji | 茶 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | tea |
| Stroke Count | 9 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
お茶 (ocha) defaults to Japanese green tea, but it stretches to cover tea and tea breaks in general. To be specific: 緑茶 (ryokucha) is green tea, 紅茶 (koucha, literally crimson tea) is Western black tea, and 麦茶 (mugicha) is the barley tea served cold in summer. 茶色 (chairo) means brown, from the color of brewed tea. 喫茶店 (kissaten) is a traditional cafe, older in feel than a カフェ. 茶道 (sadou) is the formal tea ceremony, using the reading サ.
Common Words
- お茶（おちゃ / ocha） — tea; green tea; tea break
- 茶色（ちゃいろ / chairo） — brown (color)
- 紅茶（こうちゃ / koucha） — black tea
- 緑茶（りょくちゃ / ryokucha） — green tea
- 喫茶店（きっさてん / kissaten） — cafe, tearoom
- 茶道（さどう / sadou） — tea ceremony
Example Sentences
-
毎日、緑茶を飲みます。
まいにち、りょくちゃをのみます。 / Mainichi, ryokucha o nomimasu.
I drink green tea every day.
-
駅前の喫茶店で紅茶を飲みました。
えきまえのきっさてんでこうちゃをのみました。 / Ekimae no kissaten de koucha o nomimashita.
I had black tea at a cafe in front of the station.
-
茶色のかばんを買いました。
ちゃいろのかばんをかいました。 / Chairo no kaban o kaimashita.
I bought a brown bag.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
The polite お is nearly fused to this word: you will hear お茶 far more often than bare 茶. Learn the phrase お茶を入れる (to make tea) as a set expression.
茶色 (chairo) is the standard word for brown. It is easy to forget that a color word hides inside the tea kanji, so anchor it with an image: the color of tea.
Keep the two on’yomi straight by category: チャ for everyday drinks and things (お茶, 紅茶, 茶色), サ for the traditional arts and spaces (茶道, 喫茶店). Like 肉, 茶 has no kun’yomi, so these two readings cover everything.
Summary
茶 means tea: お茶 for the drink, 茶色 for brown, 紅茶 and 緑茶 for black and green tea. Read チャ in daily words and サ in traditional words like 茶道 and 喫茶店.
Reading Break
茶道 is often read sadou, while chadou also exists — see how 茶 and 道 come together in From 茶 to 茶道: Kanji Behind Japanese Tea Culture.