# 红茶



## e.ma

I'd like to know the translation for 红茶 in English and, if possible, in Spanish.
Pleeease.


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## Xan

Té rojo
Red tea 

(Creo...)


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## e.ma

Thank you, Xan. I agree about "red tea", but I've never heard "té rojo" in Spanish.


Let's wait for some Chinese advice.


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## Flaminius

In English tea is generally understood as 红茶.  If you want to make it precise that you mean 红茶 as opposed to 緑茶 (green tea), you can say "black tea."


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## e.ma

Thank you, Flaminius, but then I have a question: isn't red _more_ opposite to green than black?


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## aaron792

May be Flaminius is right. I only heard of "red tea" for "红茶".


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## e.ma

Knowing Flaminius, I'd say he is right _for sure_.


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## Flaminius

Gracias *e.ma*, for your compliment.  But I would say that he thinks he is right for sure.


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## snowyau

e.ma said:


> I'd like to know the translation for 红茶 in English and, if possible, in Spanish.
> Pleeease.



While 红 means "red", the correct translation in English is "Black Tea", or maybe "Ceylon Tea".

There is no red tea in English. (well, Rooibos, maybe) 

Colour is one of those things that don't translate well.


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## nichec

snowyau said:


> While 红 means "red", the correct translation in English is "Black Tea", or maybe "Ceylon Tea".
> 
> There is no red tea in English. (well, Rooibos, maybe)
> 
> Colour is one of those things that don't translate well.


 
Yes, I would go for "black tea" as well.


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## nichec

e.ma said:


> Thank you, Xan. I agree about "red tea", but I've never heard "té rojo" in Spanish.
> 
> 
> Let's wait for some Chinese advice.


 
This online dictionary http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/chinese-spanish-dictionary.html seems to suggest "black tea" in Spanish as well


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## e.ma

Sorry, I didn't check the CH-EN dictionary.

So now I have to confess: I was translating _red tea_ (yes, snowyau, in English!) into Spanish "tea negro" (you are right, nichec: _black tea_), as I've always known it, but I couldn't find it in any dictionary. 

I must tell I've got pulled out of some of my worst SP-EN holes by you Chinese friends !


(by the way, don't have pity with my English, please!)


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## snowyau

No inquitez! Lo siento por me Español!

Hope I can learn some back from you one day... maybe...


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## e.ma

It would be nice for me to be able to teach you something some day, as I am learning so much from your help, right  now!


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## joeshen

i think 红茶 shouldn't be translated into "red tea", it should be "brown tea" just like "brown sugar" which means 红糖 in Chinese.


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## nichec

joeshen said:


> i think 红茶 shouldn't be translated into "red tea", it should be "brown tea" just like "brown sugar" which means 红糖 in Chinese.


 
This might be off-topic, but brown sugar is 黑糖 in Taiwan.

And black tea is far more common than brown tea.


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## snowyau

joeshen said:


> i think 红茶 shouldn't be translated into "red tea", it should be "brown tea" just like "brown sugar" which means 红糖 in Chinese.



I'm quite certain it should be "black tea"... "brown tea" sounds like a concoction that might be some sort of bad joke you'd play on someone. 

Like I mentioned, colours don't really translate well, 红糖 means "brown sugar", 红茶 means "black tea" - it's like something pornographic is "黄" (yellow), but in English, we say it's "blue". Or someone with "眼红" we might say their "eyes are green with envy".


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## joeshen

snowyau said:


> I'm quite certain it should be "black tea"... "brown tea" sounds like a concoction that might be some sort of bad joke you'd play on someone.
> 
> Like I mentioned, colours don't really translate well, 红糖 means "brown sugar", 红茶 means "black tea" - it's like something pornographic is "黄" (yellow), but in English, we say it's "blue". Or someone with "眼红" we might say their "eyes are green with envy".


 
that convince me the most! thanks for your explanations.


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## Aoyama

In fact, 紅茶 (which may come from _Japanese_) means (as Flam said) "English tea" in opposition to 緑茶 "green tea" (mostly "Japanese tea", but China has its own kind) and to plain 茶 which would include many kinds of tea but normally NOT the English (or western) kind.
So the 紅　in 紅茶　is not really to be taken literally, it would be "brown tea" because that is how it was perceived at the beginning, Chinese tea being darker (or lighter) and green tea being ... green.


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## e.ma

Thanks to all of you. I've learnt a lot about tea (and colours).


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