奶
naai⁵
The English word milk is expressed in Cantonese as 奶 (naai⁵). Wiktionary also lists 乳 (jyu⁵).
Meaning: liquid (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 奶 | naai⁵ |
| 乳 | jyu⁵ |
The character 奶 refers to milk as a liquid. It is used in compound words, such as 豆奶 for soy milk, 杏仁奶 for almond milk and the common term 奶茶 for milk tea. To specify cow's milk, the term 牛奶 is used.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 牛奶 specifies cow's milk by combining the character for cow (牛) with milk (奶).
Which one should you use?
The single character 奶 is often used as a shorthand or part of a compound in casual speech, whereas 牛奶 is the standard way to specify cow's milk. In contrast, 乳 refers to milk / mammary / breast and is typically used in scientific, medical or technical terms.
How do you pronounce it?
naai⁵
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the character 奶 is also used as a colloquial term for 'grandmother', specifically the paternal grandmother.
- The word for milk tea, 奶茶, is so central to Hong Kong culture that 'silk stocking milk tea' refers to a specific filtering method using a cloth bag.
- In Cantonese culture, the term for 'milk' can appear in complex descriptors for skin, such as 奶白, meaning 'milky white', to describe a complexion.
Examples in context
- 我買咗兩枝牛奶。I bought two bottles of milk.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 奶 when talking about buying bottles.Tatoeba #402232 by nickyeow, translation #19458 by CK
- 個杯入面冇乜牛奶淨喇。There's almost no milk left in the glass.This sentence is useful for expressing how much 奶 is left in a container.Tatoeba #5735099 by nickyeow, translation #3461475 by CK
- 我鍾意飲牛奶多過飲果汁。I prefer milk to juice.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for drinking 奶 over juice.Tatoeba #565609 by nickyeow, translation #562328 by darinmex
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zi Jian and Mei Ling are preparing breakfast together.
- 子健 Tsz Kin美玲，冰箱入面仲有冇奶？mei ling, bing hogo jap min zung jau mou nai?Mei Ling, is there any milk left in the fridge?
- 美玲 Mei Ling好似冇喇，你要買啲奶。hou ci mou la, nei jiu maai di nai.It seems like there isn't any, you need to buy some milk.
- 子健 Tsz Kin我而家出去買支奶。ngo ji ga ceot heoi maai zi nai.I'll go out and buy a bottle of milk now.
- 美玲 Mei Ling好，記得買低脂奶呀。hou, gei dak maai dai zi nai aa.Okay, remember to buy low-fat milk.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
