乸 (nǎ) - Female (of animals, especially birds and poultry) & suffix indicating female gender in Cantonese dialects.

乸Tone 3

nǎ ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 乙

慕娜

乸 · nǎ

Female (of animals, especially birds and poultry);

suffix indicating female gender in Cantonese dialects.

Female (of animals, especially birds and poultry)suffix indicating female gender in Cantonese dialects.

Usage highlights

Mother chickenFemale duckMother pigFemale catTurtle doveCow

Synonyms

  • 母— female (general term)
  • 雌— female (biological term)

Antonyms

  • 公— male (of animals)
  • 雄— male (biological term)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • A mother chicken (鸡乸).
  • A female duck (鸭乸).
  • A mother pig (猪乸).
  • A female cat (猫乸).

Collocations

  • Mother chicken(鸡乸)
  • Female duck(鸭乸)
  • Mother pig(猪乸)
  • Female cat(猫乸)
  • Turtle dove(斑乸)
  • Cow(牛乸)

Idioms

  • Pull a long face(擘大口得个窿，鸡乸咁大只字)
  • Like a mother chicken protecting her chicks(鸡乸带仔)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in Cantonese and other southern Chinese dialects to denote female animals.
  • Often appears in colloquial expressions and folk sayings in Guangdong and Guangxi regions.
  • Reflects the linguistic diversity of Chinese dialects beyond Mandarin.

FAQ