Why does the Chinese word for "Coffee" sound like
Ka-fay?!

咖啡

The Real Meaning

In Mandarin Chinese, the character 咖啡 (pronounced as kā fēi) actually translates to Coffee.

The Funny Part

Another phonetic import. Say 'coffee' with a Chinese accent and you basically have it.

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Nice Teacher says...

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咖啡 means coffee! Another borrowed word. 'Kā fēi' sounds quite close to 'coffee', right? Easy to remember!