Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "چای" in Farsi?

It's said exactly like the English loanword "chai" (as in "chai latte") — that English word actually comes from this Persian one.

چای /tʃɒːj/

chāy

One syllable; the ā and the following y-glide blend into a single smooth diphthong, not two separate beats.

Listen: چای

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Sound it out

چ ch, just like English "ch" in "chair" — never a hard "k" or soft "sh" sound.

ا ā, the long open "ah" of "father."

ی y, a quick glide at the end that turns the vowel into a diphthong, like the "y" tacked onto "aisle" — together ا+ی sound like the "y" in "sky."

Hear it in a sentence

هر صبح چای می‌نوشم.

Har sobh chāy minusham.

I drink tea every morning.

Listen: هر صبح چای می‌نوشم.

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"هر صبح چای می‌نوشم" (Har sobh chāy minusham) places the time expression هر صبح ("every morning") at the front, which is typical Persian word order (time before the verb, verb last). می‌نوشم is the present-tense "I drink," with the person built into the -am ending, so no separate word for "I" is needed.

Where English speakers slip

Because English already has this word as "chai," learners sometimes over-flavor it with extra vowel sounds (like "chai-ee"). Keep it to one clean syllable — chāy, not two.