chai

IPA/tʃaɪ/
KK[tʃˈaɪ]IPA/tʃaɪ/

chai — 名詞

  • chaisingular
  • chaisplural

1. A drink made by pouring hot water over dried leaves from the tea plant and letti

1.名詞C1
釋義

茶

茶葉沖泡的飲料

A drink made by pouring hot water over dried leaves from the tea plant and letting them soak for a few minutes before drinking.

例句

Ryo asked for a cup of plain chai with no milk or sugar.

Ryo 點了一杯不加奶也不加糖的純茶。

Shirin's grandmother starts every morning by brewing a pot of fresh chai.

Shirin 的祖母每天早上都會煮一壺新鮮的茶。

同義詞
  • tea

    the standard English word for the same drink; 'chai' is used mainly in Indian English and when emphasising the cultural origin

文法句型

chai + is

用法筆記

In English, this sense of 'chai' is used mainly in the context of South Asian tea culture. In most other settings, 'chai' refers to the spiced milk tea described in sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌I need to buy some chai leaves from the supermarket.
✅I need to buy some tea leaves from the supermarket.
💡In general English, 'tea' is the standard word for the beverage leaves; 'chai' in this generic sense is mainly used in South Asian English contexts.

2. A hot drink from South Asia, prepared by simmering black tea leaves in milk alon

2.名詞B1
釋義

印度奶茶

加牛奶和香料的印度茶飲

A hot drink from South Asia, prepared by simmering black tea leaves in milk along with a sweetener and fragrant spices like cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.

例句

Ayana ordered a hot chai with extra cardamom at the café near her office.

Ayana 在她公司附近的咖啡館點了一杯多加小豆蔻的熱印度奶茶。

collocation: hot chai with [spice]

Meera learned masala chai from her aunt, who boils it with milk and spices.

Meera 跟阿姨學做印度香料奶茶，阿姨會把茶葉跟牛奶和香料一起煮。

同義詞
  • masala chai

    the full Hindi name; used interchangeably with 'chai' in English, though it can emphasise the traditional spiced preparation method

文法句型

chai + is

用法筆記

This is the more common meaning of 'chai' in English. The drink is also called 'masala chai' to distinguish it from plain tea. In most English-speaking cafés, 'chai' alone refers to this spiced version.

常見錯誤

❌I ordered a chai and received plain black tea with no milk.
✅I ordered a chai and received a creamy spiced tea with milk.
💡In most English cafés and coffee shops, 'chai' on the menu means the spiced milk tea, not plain black tea.