also: ちゃか
noun
tea and sweets; refreshments
Refers to tea served with traditional Japanese sweets, often in a formal or hospitality context. Can also mean light refreshments in general.
お客様に茶菓をお出しする。
We serve tea and sweets to the guests.
会議の途中で茶菓の休憩が入った。
There was a refreshment break during the meeting.
茶菓子 specifically means tea cakes or sweets served with tea, while 茶菓 can refer to both the tea and the sweets together.
Compound of 茶 (tea) and 菓 (confectionery, sweets). The reading さか uses the older go-on reading for 茶, while ちゃか uses the more common kan-on reading.