奶Tone 3

nǎi ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 女

奶 · nǎi

milk;

breast;

to breastfeed;

grandmother (maternal);

a wet nurse.

milkbreastto breastfeed

Usage highlights

milkgrandmabreast milkyogurtmilk powderto breastfeed

Synonyms

乳— milk; breast (more formal)
母— mother (in the sense of origin)

Antonyms

爷— grandfather (paternal)

Usage & contexts

Examples

The baby drinks milk (牛奶).
Grandma bought some yogurt (酸奶).
She is breastfeeding the baby (喂奶).

Collocations

milk(牛奶)
grandma(奶奶)
breast milk(母乳)
yogurt(酸奶)
milk powder(奶粉)
to breastfeed(喂奶)

Idioms

A phoenix feeds on dew, not on ordinary food(凤凰不食奶)
To have milk as one's mother tongue(奶声奶气)
To be fed with the milk of a wolf(狼奶喂养)

Cultural background

Historically associated with nurturing and motherhood.
Used as a term of endearment for grandmothers in many Chinese families.
The character combines the 'woman' radical with a component suggesting curvature, possibly evoking the breast.

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