波霸

bōbà

noun

Meanings

1 boba (large tapioca pearls)
2 big-breasted woman

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

我要一杯波霸奶茶。

Wǒ yào yī bēi bōbà nǎichá.

I'll have a boba milk tea.

HSK 5

波霸的珍珠比普通的大。

Bōbà de zhēnzhū bǐ pǔtōng de dà.

Boba pearls are larger than regular ones.

Tips

history

Coined in 1980s Taiwan bubble-tea shops as a crude joke, playing on the slang 波 (boobs) + 霸 (big boss). The large-pearl version stuck as the food name in Taiwan/HK/North America; mainland China more often says 珍珠奶茶.

Stroke Order

波 bō

霸 bà