matcha

noun

ˈmä-chə 

ˈma-

plural matchas

: a green powder made from ground green tea leaves that is used to make tea and other beverages and as a flavoring agent

Our meal began with matcha, the traditional green tea of the tea ceremony. The powder is spooned into a ceramic bowl, hot water added and the mixture whisked to a frothy jade.

—Alan Brown

Walk into a coffee shop or peruse Instagram and you're sure to have seen a matcha latte.

—Alysha Witwicki

also : tea made from matcha

At the time, he often experienced midafternoon malaise and began drinking hot matcha on his brother's recommendation.

—Jill Radsken

Examples of matcha in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From matcha cheesecake to hot Cheeto pizza, the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards came to an end Tuesday, with 15 food creations going head-to-head and the winners selected ahead of this year's State Fair of Texas. — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

This week’s food events include Grant Park’s Summer Shade Festival, a matcha pop-up at Bella Cucina and a special dinner series in Madison featuring Atlanta chefs. — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The business opened in midtown in October 2020 and served loose-leaf teas, okumidori matcha from Japan, brown sugar boba milk teas and chizu fruit teas. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026

With matcha lattes in hand, attendees walked around the synthetic turf filming content. — Max Kutner, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, from mat-, form in compounding of matsu "to rub, daub, paint" + cha "tea"

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above