The hidden world of "cha"! Learn about Japanese culture and history through its etymology

Introduction

Our daily lives are filled with words that contain the character "cha," such as "tea," "tea ceremony," and "chanoma." We use these words casually, but when we look into their origins, we can sometimes find surprising histories and cultures.

For example, the phrase "Ocha no ko saisai" means something can be done easily, but why is it called "Ocha no ko"? Also, why did the word "cha kasu" come to mean to fool around?

This time, let's take a closer look at the origins of words that contain the letter "cha," which may seem familiar but are actually quite profound, and rediscover the fascinating world of words.

The meaning of the character "cha"

The character "cha" as currently used.
Originally, it was the character for "yoroshi" (grass crown) + "yo" (surplus). "Yoroshi" means "room to spare" or "extra." In other words, tea is a word that represents room to spare or leisure.

The words "cha-kasu" and "o-charakeru" can be said to express the relaxed state that is brought about by the act of drinking tea.

For people in the past, drinking tea was an important way to take a break from busy days.

Words that were born during that relaxed time are still used today to mean "to tell a joke" or "to treat someone lightly."

This is because the act of drinking tea is associated with the image of releasing tension and creating a relaxing atmosphere.

What is "Ochanoko Saisai"? Unraveling the origin and history

"Ocha no ko saisai" is a phrase that means something that can be done easily, or that can be done without any trouble.

In the past, farmers would start work early in the morning and sometimes have a light meal accompanied by tea as a snack before breakfast.

This "light meal accompanied by tea" was called "ochanoko," which came to mean doing anything with ease.

The "sai sai" part is a chant from the popular song "Nonko sai sai," and is used at the end of the song without preserving the light-hearted feeling.

The surprising origin of the phrase "chacha ireru"!

The phrase "chacha ireru" is used in a slightly negative sense to interrupt someone or make an unreasonable request. In fact, the word "chacha" has an interesting origin.

In the past, there was a word called "jaja" which meant asking for something unreasonable or selfish.

It is said that this was later changed to remove the voiced consonant and became "chacha."

In other words, the phrase "chacha ireru" is said to be a remnant of the old meaning of "jaja," which was "asking for something unreasonable."

The surprising relationship between "tea" and "recklessness"

On the other hand, the phrase "to make tea" actually originates from the tea ceremony.

In the tea ceremony, not only the act of preparing tea is important, but also the etiquette and spirituality involved.

Therefore, the phrase "to make tea" does not simply mean "to drink tea", but is derived from the meaning of "to make something in accordance with the etiquette of the tea ceremony", and has the connotation of doing things correctly.

There is also the expression "beating the waters," which describes making a quick and half-hearted response or statement to cover up or gloss over something.

As mentioned above, the word "tea" contains the meaning of "doing things correctly." Therefore, it is a word used to obscure correct behavior, that is, to gloss over the essence of things without seriously facing them.

There is also the word "muchashi" (absurd). This also means that there is no tea, that is, something that is illogical or unreasonable. The same goes for things like "muchakucha" (absurd) and "mechacha" (absurd).

Why do sushi restaurants use the term "agari"? The inside story behind "grinding tea"

The phrase "grinding tea," which means having nothing to do and having a lot of free time, is still commonly heard in nightlife establishments today.

In the past, when there were no customers and courtesans had a lot of free time, they would kill time by grinding tea leaves in a tea mill, and this is where the expression "grinding tea" came from.

On the other hand, sushi restaurants and other restaurants use the word "agari" instead of "ochaka." This is because, as mentioned above, they are aware of the bad luck associated with the phrase "grinding tea."

On the contrary, the word "agari" came to be used with the hope that more and more customers would "rise," in other words, visit the store.

Finally

What did you think? As you can see, words using the character "cha" can have completely different meanings depending on how they are used. This is one aspect that makes you feel the depth of the Japanese language. I hope that by tracing the origin of the character "cha" you can feel the depth and fascination of language.