Chela has two main meanings. One derivation comes from Hindi (cela) from Sanskrit (ceta), meaning "slave" or "servant". In English, the word means a religious student or disciple. The other derivation comes from Greek (chele) and Latin (chela), meaning "claw", now specifically that of an arthropod.
Chela may also refer to:
- Chela (fish), a small minnow-type fish in the Cyprinid family
- Chela (organ), a pincerlike organ terminating certain limbs of some arthropods like a crab
- Juan Ignacio Chela (born 1979), a professional tennis player from Argentina
- The Chela meteorite fall of 1988 in Tanzania
- Chela, Ethiopia, a town in southern Ethiopia