How to pronounce boba tea
boba tea (bubble tea) is 珍珠奶茶 in Chinese, written zhēnzhūnǎichá in pinyin and said jun-joo-nigh-chah.
珍珠奶茶
jun-joo-nigh-chah
Sound by sound
- 珍junFirst tone: high and level
- 珠jooFirst tone: high and level
- 奶nighThird tone: low, dipping down
- 茶chahSecond tone: rising, as in a question
Letters to watch
- Zh is said like the j in “jam”, with the tongue curled back. Not “z”.
- E alone is the “uh” in “duh”, not “ee” or “eh”.
Food and drink
- xiaolongbao 小笼包 shyow-loong-bow
- jiaozi 饺子 jyow-dzuh
- baozi 包子 bow-dzuh
- mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐 mah-paw-doh-foo
- Peking duck 北京烤鸭 bay-jeeng-kow-yah
- hot pot (huoguo) 火锅 hwaw-gwaw
- jianbing 煎饼 jyen-beeng
- zongzi 粽子 dzoong-dzuh
- baijiu 白酒 buy-jyoh
- oolong tea (wulong) 乌龙茶 woo-loong-chah
- pu-erh tea (pu’er) 普洱茶 poo-ar-chah
- tangyuan 汤圆 tahng-ywen
- mooncake (yuebing) 月饼 yweh-beeng
- tofu (doufu) 豆腐 doh-foo
How do you pronounce boba tea?
boba tea (bubble tea) is 珍珠奶茶 in Chinese, written zhēnzhūnǎichá in pinyin and said jun-joo-nigh-chah.
What are the tones in boba tea?
zhēn: first tone, high and level; zhū: first tone, high and level; nǎi: third tone, low, dipping down; chá: second tone, rising, as in a question.
What do English speakers get wrong in boba tea?
Zh is said like the j in “jam”, with the tongue curled back. Not “z”. E alone is the “uh” in “duh”, not “ee” or “eh”.
More free tools
Voices recorded for our word cards. A spelling such as “shyow-mee” is the nearest English sound, not the sound itself: hear the voices.