Ever wondered what’s the Malay word for ‘bubble tea’? DBP has the answer

Are you one who cannot live without bubble tea? If so, all the more you should know about the latest update over this iconic drink.

Bubble tea is a drink that originates from Taiwan and is commonly known as 珍珠奶茶 (zhēn zhū nǎi chá) or pearl milk tea.

The Institute of Language and Literature of Malaysia (DBP) recently revealed the official word for the beverage – “teh mutiara”, which directly translates as pearl tea in Malay.

According to its Facebook post, teh mutiara is defined as “a tea-based beverage where milk or sweetened flavours is added into it, along with small balls of potato starch (boba), fruit jelly, cincau, agar-agar and pudding”.

Thus, teh mutiara can be used for drinks containing tea with starch balls and those that have other toppings as well.

The post has since garnered 1.5k likes and brought bubble tea lovers together at the comment section to express their thoughts on the official term.

▼”The word ‘pearl’ usually refers to objects that are white or cream-coloured.”

▼”An unhealthy beverage such as bubble tea does not live up to the name of “mutiara“.

Sources: Borneo Talk, Freepik and Facebook/ Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia

Editor: S. Ying Lee
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh