---
title: "Chinese Tea Names: The 6 Types of Chinese Tea, Famous Teas and the Tea Set, With Pinyin"
description: "The six types of Chinese tea, green, white, yellow, oolong, black and dark, and 60 tea words: 龙井, 碧螺春, 铁观音, 大红袍 and 普洱, the tea set from 盖碗 to 紫砂壶, and 早茶 at the teahouse, each with pinyin, its meaning and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-tea-names"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 60 words

# Chinese tea names

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E5%8F%B6%20%E7%BB%BF%E8%8C%B6%20%E7%99%BD%E8%8C%B6%20%E4%B9%8C%E9%BE%99%E8%8C%B6%20%E7%BA%A2%E8%8C%B6%20%E9%BB%91%E8%8C%B6%20%E6%99%AE%E6%B4%B1%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8A%B1%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8C%89%E8%8E%89%E8%8A%B1%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%A5%BF%E6%B9%96%E9%BE%99%E4%BA%95%20%E7%A2%A7%E8%9E%BA%E6%98%A5%20%E6%AF%9B%E5%B0%96%20%E9%93%81%E8%A7%82%E9%9F%B3%20%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%A2%E8%A2%8D%20%E5%B2%A9%E8%8C%B6%20%E7%99%BD%E7%89%A1%E4%B8%B9%20%E9%93%B6%E9%92%88%20%E5%AF%BF%E7%9C%89%20%E9%87%91%E9%AA%8F%E7%9C%89%20%E6%BB%87%E7%BA%A2%20%E5%85%AD%E5%A0%A1%E8%8C%B6%20%E6%B2%B1%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8F%8A%E8%8A%B1%E8%8C%B6%20%E5%87%89%E8%8C%B6%20%E5%A5%B6%E8%8C%B6%20%E7%8F%8D%E7%8F%A0%E5%A5%B6%E8%8C%B6%20%E6%8A%B9%E8%8C%B6%20%E9%85%A5%E6%B2%B9%E8%8C%B6%20%E5%86%AC%E7%93%9C%E8%8C%B6%20%E6%9F%A0%E6%AA%AC%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E5%85%B7%20%E8%8C%B6%E5%A3%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E6%9D%AF%20%E7%9B%96%E7%A2%97%20%E7%B4%AB%E7%A0%82%E5%A3%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E7%9B%98%20%E8%8C%B6%E5%87%A0%20%E8%8C%B6%E5%8C%99%20%E8%8C%B6%E5%8C%85%20%E6%B3%A1%E8%8C%B6%20%E6%B2%8F%E8%8C%B6%20%E5%96%9D%E8%8C%B6%20%E5%93%81%E8%8C%B6%20%E6%95%AC%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E9%81%93%20%E5%8A%9F%E5%A4%AB%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E8%89%BA%20%E5%9B%9E%E7%94%98%20%E8%8C%B6%E9%A6%86%20%E8%8C%B6%E6%A5%BC%20%E6%97%A9%E8%8C%B6%20%E9%A5%AE%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E7%82%B9%20%E4%B8%8B%E5%8D%88%E8%8C%B6%20%E8%8C%B6%E6%AD%87%20%E8%8C%B6%E8%AF%9D%E4%BC%9A%20%E7%B2%97%E8%8C%B6%E6%B7%A1%E9%A5%AD%20%E8%8C%B6%E4%BD%99%E9%A5%AD%E5%90%8E%20%E4%BA%BA%E8%B5%B0%E8%8C%B6%E5%87%89)

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## The six types of Chinese tea

| | In Chinese | How it is made | Famous teas |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| White | 白茶 báichá | The least processed: withered in the open air, then dried | 银针 白牡丹 寿眉 |
| Green | 绿茶 lǜchá | Heated soon after picking, fried or steamed, to stop it oxidizing | 龙井 碧螺春 毛尖 |
| Yellow | 黄茶 huángchá | Made like green tea, with a short oxidizing step that turns it yellow | 君山银针 |
| Oolong | 乌龙茶 wūlóngchá | Partly oxidized, anywhere between green and black | 铁观音 大红袍 |
| Black | 红茶 hóngchá, “red tea” | Fully oxidized before it is dried | 金骏眉 滇红 |
| Dark | 黑茶 hēichá | Fermented after it is made, and often pressed into cakes | 普洱茶 六堡茶 |

## The kinds of tea

chá茶

tea

chá茶yè叶

tea; tea leaves

lǜ绿chá茶

green tea

bái白chá茶

white tea

wū乌lóng龙chá茶

oolong tea

hóng红chá茶

black tea

hēi黑chá茶

dark tea (post-fermented)

pǔ普ěr洱chá茶

Pu'er tea

huā花chá茶

scented tea; jasmine tea

mò茉lì莉huā花chá茶

jasmine tea

## Famous teas

xī西hú湖lóng龙jǐng井

West Lake Longjing tea (Dragon Well green tea from Hangzhou)

bì碧luó螺chūn春

Biluochun (green tea from Suzhou)

máo毛jiān尖

Maojian (green tea made from fine tender leaves)

tiě铁guān观yīn音

Tieguanyin (variety of oolong tea)

dà大hóng红páo袍

Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe oolong tea)

yán岩chá茶

rock tea (oolong from the Wuyi Mountains)

bái白mǔ牡dān丹

Bai Mudan (a white tea)

yín银zhēn针

Silver Needle (white tea)

shòu寿méi眉

Shou Mei (white tea from Fujian)

jīn金jùn骏méi眉

Jin Junmei (premium black tea from the Wuyi Mountains)

diān滇hóng红

Yunnan black tea; Dianhong

liù六bǎo堡chá茶

Liupao tea (fermented dark tea from Guangxi)

tuó沱chá茶

tuocha (bowl-shaped compressed tea)

## Other tea drinks

jú菊huā花chá茶

chrysanthemum tea

liáng凉chá茶

herbal tea (Cantonese cooling tea)

nǎi奶chá茶

milk tea; bubble tea

zhēn珍zhū珠nǎi奶chá茶

bubble tea; pearl milk tea

mǒ抹chá茶

matcha

sū酥yóu油chá茶

butter tea

dōng冬guā瓜chá茶

winter melon tea

níng柠méng檬chá茶

lemon tea

## The tea set

chá茶jù具

tea set; tea things

chá茶hú壶

teapot

chá茶bēi杯

teacup; cup

gài盖wǎn碗

lidded tea bowl

zǐ紫shā砂hú壶

Yixing clay teapot; purple clay teapot

chá茶pán盘

tea tray

chá茶jī几

tea table; coffee table

chá茶chí匙

teaspoon

chá茶bāo包

tea bag

## Making and drinking tea

pào泡chá茶

to make tea; to steep tea

qī沏chá茶

to make tea; to brew tea

hē喝chá茶

to drink tea

pǐn品chá茶

to sample tea; to savor tea

jìng敬chá茶

to serve tea (respectfully)

chá茶dào道

tea ceremony; the way of tea

gōng功fū夫chá茶

gongfu tea (Chaozhou style of tea brewing)

chá茶yì艺

tea art; tea ceremony

huí回gān甘

sweet aftertaste (of tea etc.)

## Teahouses and tea time

chá茶guǎn馆

teahouse

chá茶lóu楼

teahouse (often multistoried)

zǎo早chá茶

morning tea; dim sum breakfast

yǐn饮chá茶

(Cantonese) to have dim sum; yum cha

chá茶diǎn点

tea and snacks

xià下wǔ午chá茶

afternoon tea

chá茶xiē歇

tea break; coffee break

chá茶huà话huì会

tea party

## Sayings with tea

cū粗chá茶dàn淡fàn饭

simple food

chá茶yú余fàn饭hòu后

in one's spare time

rén人zǒu走chá茶liáng凉

when someone leaves their position, people forget them

## What are the 6 types of Chinese tea?

White 白茶 (báichá), green 绿茶 (lǜchá), yellow 黄茶 (huángchá), oolong 乌龙茶 (wūlóngchá), black 红茶 (hóngchá) and dark 黑茶 (hēichá). All come from the same plant; how the leaves are processed, above all how much they oxidize, makes the difference. Some add scented teas like jasmine, 花茶 (huāchá).

## Why is black tea called red tea in Chinese?

红茶 (hóngchá) is named for the reddish colour of the tea in the cup; English named it for the dark leaves. So when you want black tea in China, ask for 红茶. 黑茶 (hēichá), literally black tea, is the fermented dark tea, like 普洱 (pǔ’ěr).

## What is the most popular tea in China?

Green tea is the most drunk tea in China, and black tea comes second. The best known green tea is 西湖龙井 (Xīhú Lóngjǐng), West Lake Dragon Well, from Hangzhou.

## What tea do Chinese restaurants serve?

Most often jasmine tea, 茉莉花茶 (mòlìhuāchá), oolong like 铁观音 (tiěguānyīn), or 普洱 (pǔ’ěr) at dim sum. In restaurants in China tea is usually served instead of water. Going for dim sum is 饮茶 (yǐnchá) in Cantonese, or 早茶 (zǎochá), morning tea.

## What are the names of the Chinese tea set?

The whole set is 茶具 (chájù): the teapot 茶壶 (cháhú), often a 紫砂壶 (zǐshāhú), a Yixing clay pot; the lidded bowl 盖碗 (gàiwǎn); small cups 茶杯 (chábēi); and the tea tray 茶盘 (chápán), which drains the water poured over the set.

## What does 喝茶 mean in slang?

Literally to drink tea, 喝茶 (hēchá) is also slang for being called in for questioning by the police: 被请去喝茶, invited to tea.

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## More for tea and food

- [What to say at a Chinese tea ceremony](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-phrases/tea-ceremony)
- [Chinese food and dish names](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-food-names)
- [Ordering at a Chinese restaurant](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-phrases/restaurant)
- [Chinese flower names](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flower-names)

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; the six types and how each is made from Wikipedia’s Chinese tea.