So, I’ve been meaning to figure out what “black tea” is called in Japanese. I mean, I love the stuff, but when I’m in a Japanese restaurant or talking to my Japanese friends, I just draw a blank. I can point and say “tea, please,” but that doesn’t really cut it, right?

First, I tried just asking around. I asked my Japanese neighbor, Mrs. Tanaka, and she just gave me a confused look. Then I asked a couple of friends who are into Japanese stuff, but they weren’t much help either. One of them suggested I use a translation app, which, yeah, I guess I could have done that, but where’s the fun in that?

Then I hit up the internet. I just typed “black tea in Japanese” into my browser and hoped for the best. You know, just to see what pops up. I found some forum discussions and some online dictionaries, but it was kind of a mess.

• Some places said it was “koucha,” and others were like, “No, it’s ‘kocha’!” And there were a few that threw in “sekai no koucha” for good measure.
• There were a lot of results from touch device users who also have similar issue.
• I even found a store with at least 3 different brands of black tea.

I felt like I was going in circles. I was spending way too much time on this, you know? So, I decided to go old school. I went to the local library. I figured they’d have some Japanese language books or something. And guess what? They did! I found this one textbook, and it was like a light bulb moment.

Finally!

It clearly stated that “black tea” in Japanese is 紅茶, pronounced “koucha.” It even had a little picture of a cup of tea next to it! I felt so accomplished, like I’d cracked some ancient code.

So, yeah, that’s my little adventure in learning how to say “black tea” in Japanese. It took a bit of digging, but I got there in the end. Now, I can finally order my favorite drink with confidence when I’m at a Japanese place. Or impress my friends. You know, whichever comes first.