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

South Carolina dietitian-nutritionist Lauren Manaker told Fox News Digital that the health benefits of matcha tend to fade when mixed with liquor. —Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Some other drinks like matcha, yerba mate, and green tea, provide some caffeine with calming effects and may be gentler on your body. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 19 Oct. 2025

Just like the blueberry milk, milky rose, and matcha latte nails that came before it, the name is derived from the shade used to achieve the look. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 18 Oct. 2025

For breakfast, Ombak offers fresh fruit juices, kombucha, matcha smoothies, and Indonesian coffee. —Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025

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