cha

Clipping of English and Chamorro Chamorro.

cha

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Chamorro.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Chamorro terms

From Chinese 茶 (chá), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-la, via two routes: in some cases from Hindustani चा (cā) / چا (cā) (a variant of the same root, from Persian چا, which led to chai), from Northern Chinese; in other cases from 茶 (chá) /t͡sʰɑː²¹/, the pronunciation found in Canton (Guangzhou), where the British bought much of their tea in the 19th century. Doublet of tea, which is from the Amoy Min Nan pronunciation tê.

• char (British)
• chaw (obsolete)

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɑː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː

cha (uncountable)

1. Tea, (sometimes dialect) specifically masala chai.

   Would you like a cup of cha?

   • 1934 August 4, George Herriman, Krazy Kat, Saturday, comic strip, →ISBN, page 206:

     [Krazy Kat, bringing a full tray:] Look, folkses – hot dogs, hot cha, hot peppa pots, hot timollies – hot kuffy. ^[sic]

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃʌ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌ

cha

1. (dialectal, nonstandard) Pronunciation spelling of you, especially when preceded by a /t/ sound.
   • 1976, Flying Magazine, page 34:

     You mean you can't fly after you've had a few beers? You can drive, can't cha?

   • 2005, Busta Rhymes, CeeLo Green, “Don't Cha”, performed by Pussycat Dolls:

     Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?

   • 2008, Barbara L. Jent, The Weddin' Day, Barbara Jent, →ISBN, page 157:

     “You'll be ridin' with us, won't cha, Josh?”

• dincha
• doncha
• gotcha

From cha-cha (q.v.).

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɑː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː

cha

1. (dance) Used to count out steps, particularly involving the hip-shaking sections of rhythmic Latin dances.

   One–two–cha–cha–cha
   Three–four–cha–cha–cha

From the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean 자 (ja).

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɑː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː

cha (plural chas or cha)

1. (Korean units of measure) Synonym of Korean foot: a traditional unit of length equivalent to about 30.3 cm.

• cha chaan teng

• ACH, CAH, HAC, HCA, ach, cah

• cheemen, cheme, cho, chomu, choo, chéeme

From Old High German kweman, chuman, from Proto-Germanic *kwemaną. Cognate with German kommen, Dutch komen, English come, Icelandic koma, Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (qiman).

cha

1. (Uri) to come

• ubercha

• Abegg, Emil, (1911) Die Mundart von Urseren (Beiträge zur Schweizerdeutschen Grammatik. IV.) [The Dialect of Urseren], Frauenfeld, Switzerland: Huber & Co., page 86.

• char

From Hindi चार (cār).

• IPA^(key): /t͡ɕa/

cha (Bengali script চা)

1. four

• byryi
• por

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary. Stated in Appendix 3.

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa/, [ˈt͡ʃa]

cha

1. tea

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-kéa (“to dawn - zone N”).

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃa/

-cha (infinitive kuchá)

1. to dawn
2. to mature, ripen (fruit)

• Verbal derivations:
  • Causative: -cheza
  • Negative: -sacha
  • Passive: -chedwa

• Steven Paas (2016), Oxford Chichewa-English/English - Chichewa Dictionary‎^[1], Oxford University Press, page 35

From Yoruba ja ("to fight, strive").

• 'cha, ja, chacha, jaja

• IPA^(key): /ɟɑ/, /t͡ʃɑ/, /d͡ʒɑ/, /t͡ʃɑ.t͡ʃɑ/

cha

1. quarrel

• It is common for this verb to be reduplicated for grammatical purposes.

From English you.

• chuh

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃə/, /t͡ʃʌ/

cha

1. (grammar) you

• Lorenzo Dow Turner, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1969)

From Middle Irish níco(n), noco(n), nocho(n), nocha(n), from Old Irish nícon, nacon, from ní con.

• IPA^(key): /ha(ː)/^[1], /hɑ/^[2]

cha (Triggers lenition of b, c, f, g, m, p, s. Triggers eclipsis of d, t.)

1. (Ulster) not

   Cha phósann sí é.

   She will not marry him.

   Cha dtugaim.

   I do not give, I will not give.

Used only in some varieties of Ulster Irish. Not used with the future tense; a future meaning can be conveyed by using it with the present tense.

• ní (used in Munster Irish, Connacht Irish, and some varieties of Ulster Irish)

• chan (used before vowel sounds)
• char (used before the past tense)

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “cha”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “nícon”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

cha

1. The hiragana syllable ちゃ (cha) or the katakana syllable チャ (cha) in Hepburn romanization.

Borrowed from Chinese 茶 (chá), highly likely via Cantonese caa⁴ rather than Hokkien tê.

cha

1. tea

• IPA^(key): /xa/

cha m inan

1. The name of the Latin script letter ch/Ch.

• (Latin-script letter names) a, bej, cej, čet, ćej, dej, ej, ět, ef, gej, ha, cha, i, jot, ka, eł, el, em, en, ejn, o, pej, er, ejŕ, es, eš, śej, tej, u, wej, y, zet, žet, źej

Likely from Cantonese 茶 (caa4).

cha (plural cha-cha or cha²)

1. (obsolete) tea^[1][2]

   Synonym: teh

cha

1. nonstandard spelling of chā
2. nonstandard spelling of chá
3. nonstandard spelling of chǎ
4. nonstandard spelling of chà

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

From Middle Irish níco(n), noco(n), nocho(n), nocha(n), from Old Irish nícon, nacon, from ní con. Compare Irish ní, cha, Scottish Gaelic cha.

cha

1. not

   Cha bee'n poosey ayn. ― The marriage will not take place.

   Cha vel blass er. ― It has no taste.

• Used with the dependent form of a verb. With the copula, the verb may be suppressed.
• Becomes chan before a vowel.

cha

1. alternative form of cho

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “nícon”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃʰɑ̀/

cha

1. crying, weeping

From Proto-Katuic *caa, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *caʔ.

• IPA^(key): [caː]

cha 

1. to eat

Pali numbers ^(edit)

←  5	6	7  →
Cardinal: cha     Ordinal: chaṭṭha

Possibly from Sanskrit *ट्षष् (*ṭṣaṣ), variant of षष् (ṣaṣ);^[1] see there for further etymology.

cha

1. six^[2]

Optionally indeclinable.

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa/

-cha

1. clipping of -chiwa

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

cha

1. (Puter, Vallader) that

• che (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan)
• ca, c' (Sutsilvan)
• tgi (Surmiran)

cha

1. (Puter, Vallader) who, whom

• che (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan)
• tge (Sutsilvan)
• tgi (Surmiran)

From Middle Irish nochan, from Old Irish nícon, from ní (“not”) + con (“toward”). Cognates include Irish cha and Manx cha.

• IPA^(key): /xa/
• Hyphenation: cha

cha (governs the dependent form of the verb, lenites)

1. negative verb particle: not

   Cha robh bean aig Iain. ― Ian didn't have a wife.

• Before a word starting with a vowel or fh, the form chan is used.
• Lenites the following word unless it starts with t or d, although in some dialects those words may be lenited as well.

cha

1. Negative forms of the copula: is not

   Cha mhise m’ athair. ― I am not my father.

   Cha bhòrd bòrd gun aran ach ’s bòrd aran leis fhèin. ― A table without bread is no table but bread is a table by itself.

   Cha toigh leam càise. ― I don't like cheese.

• Before a word starting with a vowel or fh, the form chan is used.
• Lenites the following word unless it starts with t or d, although in some dialects those words may be lenited as well.
• Does not lenite pronouns except for mi, mise.

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “nícon”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Mark, Colin (2003), “cha”, in The Gaelic–English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 129

• chá

Borrowed from Portuguese chá, from Macanese Cantonese 茶 (caa⁴). Compare Tagalog tsaa, Cebuano tsa. Doublet of té.

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa/ [ˈt͡ʃa]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: cha

cha m (plural chas)

1. (Philippines, historical) tea

   Synonym: té

• “cha”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• Abella, Venancio María de (1874), Vade-Mecum Filipino ó manual de la conversacion familiar Español-Tagalog. Seguido de un curioso Vocabulario de Modismos Manileños., 12.ᵃ edition (overall work in Philippine Spanish and Tagalog), Escolta, Manila: Ramirez y Giraudier, á cargo de C. Miralles., page 115

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Inherited from Proto-Sabaki *-kya (“to dawn”), from Proto-Bantu *-kéa.

In Sabaki, cognate with Ngazidja Comorian -sha and Giryama -cha. Other Bantu cognates include Zulu -sa and Chichewa -cha.

• -kya (Vumba, Pemba)

-cha (infinitive kucha)

1. to dawn, (of the sun) to rise

   Antonym: -chwa

Conjugation of -cha
Positive present -nakucha Subjunctive -che Negative -chi Imperative singular kucha
Infinitives
Positive kucha Negative kutokucha
Imperatives
Singular kucha Plural kucheni
Tensed forms
Habitual hucha Positive past positive subject concord + -likucha Negative past negative subject concord + -kucha
Positive present (positive subject concord + -nakucha) Singular Plural 1st person ninakucha/nakucha tunakucha 2nd person unakucha mnakucha 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anakucha wanakucha other classes positive subject concord + -nakucha
Negative present (negative subject concord + -chi) Singular Plural 1st person sichi hatuchi 2nd person huchi hamchi 3rd person m-wa(I/II) hachi hawachi other classes negative subject concord + -chi
Positive future positive subject concord + -takucha Negative future negative subject concord + -takucha
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -che) Singular Plural 1st person niche tuche 2nd person uche mche 3rd person m-wa(I/II) ache wache other classes positive subject concord + -che
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -siche Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngekucha Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singekucha Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngalikucha Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singalikucha
Gnomic (positive subject concord + -acha) Singular Plural 1st person nacha twacha 2nd person wacha mwacha 3rd person m-wa(I/II) acha wacha m-mi(III/IV) wacha yacha ji-ma(V/VI) lacha yacha ki-vi(VII/VIII) chacha vyacha n(IX/X) yacha zacha u(XI) wacha see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) kwacha pa(XVI) pacha mu(XVIII) mwacha
Perfect positive subject concord + -mekucha "Already" positive subject concord + -meshakucha "Not yet" negative subject concord + -jacha "If/When" positive subject concord + -kicha "If not" positive subject concord + -sipokucha Consecutive kacha / positive subject concord + -kacha Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kache Object concord —
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord + -cha- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -chaye -chao m-mi(III/IV) -chao -chayo ji-ma(V/VI) -chalo -chayo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chacho -chavyo n(IX/X) -chayo -chazo u(XI) -chao see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -chako pa(XVI) -chapo mu(XVIII) -chamo Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + -kucha) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yekucha -okucha m-mi(III/IV) -okucha -yokucha ji-ma(V/VI) -lokucha -yokucha ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chokucha -vyokucha n(IX/X) -yokucha -zokucha u(XI) -okucha see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kokucha pa(XVI) -pokucha mu(XVIII) -mokucha
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -chea
  • Causative: -chesha
  • Passive: -chewa

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-tɪ́ja (“to fear”).

-cha (infinitive kucha)

1. to fear, be afraid

In Standard Swahili, the sense "to fear" is used of reverential fear, generally fearing God. However, in the Mombasa dialect, it is used as a synonym of -ogopa.

Conjugation of -cha
Positive present -nakucha Subjunctive -che Negative -chi Imperative singular kucha
Infinitives
Positive kucha Negative kutokucha
Imperatives
Singular kucha Plural kucheni
Tensed forms
Habitual hucha Positive past positive subject concord + -likucha Negative past negative subject concord + -kucha
Positive present (positive subject concord + -nakucha) Singular Plural 1st person ninakucha/nakucha tunakucha 2nd person unakucha mnakucha 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anakucha wanakucha other classes positive subject concord + -nakucha
Negative present (negative subject concord + -chi) Singular Plural 1st person sichi hatuchi 2nd person huchi hamchi 3rd person m-wa(I/II) hachi hawachi other classes negative subject concord + -chi
Positive future positive subject concord + -takucha Negative future negative subject concord + -takucha
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -che) Singular Plural 1st person niche tuche 2nd person uche mche 3rd person m-wa(I/II) ache wache other classes positive subject concord + -che
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -siche Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngekucha Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singekucha Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngalikucha Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singalikucha
Gnomic (positive subject concord + -acha) Singular Plural 1st person nacha twacha 2nd person wacha mwacha 3rd person m-wa(I/II) acha wacha m-mi(III/IV) wacha yacha ji-ma(V/VI) lacha yacha ki-vi(VII/VIII) chacha vyacha n(IX/X) yacha zacha u(XI) wacha see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) kwacha pa(XVI) pacha mu(XVIII) mwacha
Perfect positive subject concord + -mekucha "Already" positive subject concord + -meshakucha "Not yet" negative subject concord + -jacha "If/When" positive subject concord + -kicha "If not" positive subject concord + -sipokucha Consecutive kacha / positive subject concord + -kacha Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kache
Object concord (indicative positive) Singular Plural 1st person -nicha -tucha 2nd person -kucha -wacha/-kucheni/-wacheni 3rd person m-wa(I/II) -mcha -wacha m-mi(III/IV) -ucha -icha ji-ma(V/VI) -licha -yacha ki-vi(VII/VIII) -kicha -vicha n(IX/X) -icha -zicha u(XI) -ucha see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kucha pa(XVI) -pacha mu(XVIII) -mucha Reflexive -jicha
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord + (object concord) + -cha- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -chaye -chao m-mi(III/IV) -chao -chayo ji-ma(V/VI) -chalo -chayo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chacho -chavyo n(IX/X) -chayo -chazo u(XI) -chao see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -chako pa(XVI) -chapo mu(XVIII) -chamo Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + (object concord) + -kucha) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yekucha -okucha m-mi(III/IV) -okucha -yokucha ji-ma(V/VI) -lokucha -yokucha ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chokucha -vyokucha n(IX/X) -yokucha -zokucha u(XI) -okucha see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kokucha pa(XVI) -pokucha mu(XVIII) -mokucha
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -chia
  • Causative: -chisha
  • Passive: -chiwa

• Nominal derivations:
  • mcha

Other scripts
Ajami	گَـ

cha

1. ki class_(VII) inflected form of -a

cha

1. no

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa/ [ˈt͡ʃa]
  • IPA^(key): (no palatal assimilation) /ˈtsa/ [ˈt͡sa]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: cha

cha (Baybayin spelling ᜆ᜔ᜐ)

1. alternative form of tsa

Pronunciation spelling of tihaya representing rapid speech.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃaʔ/ [ˈt͡ʃaʔ]
  • IPA^(key): (no palatal assimilation) /ˈtsaʔ/ [ˈt͡saʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: cha

châ (Baybayin spelling ᜆ᜔ᜐ) (card games, dated, slang)

1. face-up (in playing cards)

   Synonym: tihaya

   Antonyms: chub, taob

• chaya, tsaya

Compare Limchowese 吒 (zaa1, “father”).

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaː˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaː˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [caː˧˧]

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

cha • (吒, 𤕔)

1. (literary, dated, otherwise Catholicism) father

   Synonyms: ba, bố, thầy, cậu, tía, áng

2. (Southern Vietnam, humorous) dude

   Synonyms: bố, cha nội

   Thôi dẹp đi cha!

   Stop it, dude!

cha

1. (dated or literary) I/me, your father
2. (dated or literary) you, my father
3. (Catholicism) you, father

cha

1. aspirate mutation of ca

• IPA^(key): [tʃa]

cha

1. beaver

From Proto-Micronesian *caa, from Proto-Oceanic *draʀaq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daʀaq, from Proto-Austronesian *daʀaq.

cha

1. blood

cha

1. (stative) red
2. (stative) bloody, bleeding

• IPA^(key): [t͡ʃa]

cha

1. Allomorph of ka (interrogative particle) used after words that end in i.

cha

1. sharp

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /ǀʰá/

cha

1. no

   Synonym: qha

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “cha”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “cha (2)”