Chai (Arabic: شَاي, Hindi: चाय, Urdu/Persian: چاى, Russian: чай, Turkish: çay [1]) is the word for tea in South Asia and the Middle East, mainly northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the other regional countries. It is a derivative of the Chinese word cha (茶) for tea. Synonyms in other languages are the Bengali chā, the Marathi chahā and the Tamil thaeneer.

In a typical South Asian household, chai is prepared by boiling loose leaf tea in a pot with milk and water. Depending on personal preference, various spices and/or sweetner may also be added at this stage. What many English speakers tend to think of as chai is, therefore, more strictly known as masala chai, (Hindi (मसाला चाय [masālā chāy], “spiced tea”). Indian markets all over the world sell various brands of “chai masala,” (Hindi चाय मसाला [masālā chāy], “tea spice” ), though many households blend their own.

In India, chai is more popular than coffee, and “chai wallahs,” or street vendors, are a common sight in many Indian neighborhoods.

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