奶

• Pinyin: nǎi
• Hanzi breakdown: 奶 = 女 (woman) + 乃 (phonetic component)

Meaning

Milk; breast. Short for 牛奶 (cow's milk) in casual speech.

In everyday speech, 奶 is often used as a short form of 牛奶 (milk). It can also refer to breast milk or the breast. Common in compound words like 奶茶 (milk tea) and 奶奶 (grandmother).

Examples

1. 我每天喝一杯奶。 I drink a glass of milk every day.
2. 这个奶茶很好喝。 This milk tea is delicious.
3. 宝宝要喝奶了。 The baby wants to drink milk.

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你要加奶吗？(Do you want to add milk?)
• 我喜欢喝热奶。(I like drinking hot milk.)

Don't Say

• 在正式场合只说奶代替牛奶。(In formal contexts, say the full word 牛奶 instead of just 奶, which sounds too casual)

Origin & History

The character combines 女 (woman) and 乃 (phonetic component), originally referring to the breast or breast milk.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal