Japanese kanji 茶: お茶 and 喫茶店

The idea

茶 has 9 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. Read お茶 as おちゃ and 喫茶店 as きっさてん. N4 is an estimated learning level, not an official JLPT kanji list.

Examples

• 昨日きのう、友達ともだちとお茶ちゃを飲のみました。Yesterday I had tea with a friend.
• 静しずかな喫茶店きっさてんで本ほんを読よみます。I read a book in a quiet café.
• お茶ちゃをもう一杯いっぱいください。Another cup of tea, please.
• このお茶ちゃはあまり熱あつくありません。This tea is not very hot.
• 明日あした、いっしょにお茶ちゃを飲のみませんか。Would you like to have tea together tomorrow?
• このかばんは茶色ちゃいろです。This bag is brown.

Watch out

Compare the shapes of 茶 and 草. Read whole words: お茶 means tea, whereas 喫茶店 means coffee shop; café. The お in お茶 is a polite prefix. In 喫茶店, 茶 is read さ, not ちゃ.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of お茶 in hiragana.

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   おちゃ

   お茶 is read おちゃ and means tea. In the example: Yesterday I had tea with a friend.

2. Write the reading of 喫茶店 in hiragana.

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   きっさてん

   喫茶店 is read きっさてん and means coffee shop; café. In the example: I read a book in a quiet café.

3. Fill in the missing kanji: 喫＿店（きっさてん）［茶／草］.

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   茶

   茶 completes 喫茶店, read きっさてん; the word means coffee shop; café.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 茶 from memory, then read お茶 and 喫茶店 aloud. Check their readings and meanings.