During the Age of Exploration, Portuguese explorers arrived in Macau, where the Camellia sinensis plant was called "ch”a" in Cantonese. This is how the Portuguese adopted the name "chá" for the beverage.

On the other hand, the English, Spanish, and Dutch, for example, traded through the port of Xiamen (formerly known as Amoy), where the Camellia sinensis was called "t”e" in Min Nan. This is why they named the drink "tea", "té", and "thee" in their respective languages.

The point I wanted to make is that the sound of the Portuguese word "chá" is very similar to the Japanese word "お茶" (Ocha).

Did you know that?