also: ひきちゃ
noun
tencha; powdered green tea leaves
Refers specifically to the steamed, dried, and deveined tea leaves that are stone-ground to produce matcha. The term 碾茶 (てんちゃ) is the standard industry term, while 挽き茶 (ひきちゃ) is a more descriptive, everyday name.
See also: 抹茶
碾茶を石臼で挽くと抹茶になる。
When tencha is ground with a stone mill, it becomes matcha.
高級な抹茶は、良質の碾茶から作られる。
High-quality matcha is made from fine tencha.
Descriptive spelling meaning 'ground tea', emphasizing the grinding process.
Abbreviated form of 挽き茶; less common.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; rarely used.
抹茶 is the finished powdered green tea, while 碾茶 refers to the processed leaves before they are ground into powder.
碾 (てん, 'grind') + 茶 (ちゃ, 'tea'). The reading ひきちゃ comes from the native Japanese reading of 挽く (ひく, 'to grind').