酸奶
suānnǎi
In Chinese, yogurt is said as 酸奶 (suānnǎi). If unsure, use 酸奶. Wiktionary also lists 酸牛奶 (suānniúnǎi) and 酸凝酪 (suānnínglào, suānníngluò).
Meaning: a milk-based product thickened by a bacterium-aided curdling process (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 酸奶 | suānnǎi | |
| 酸牛奶 | suānniúnǎi | |
| 酸凝酪 | suānnínglào, suānníngluò | |
| 發酵乳 / 发酵乳 | fājiàorǔ | |
| 发酵乳 | fājiàorǔ, fāxiàorǔ | |
| 優酪乳 / 优酪乳 | yōulàorǔ, yōuluòrǔ | Taiwan |
| 乳酪 | rǔlào | Hong Kong, Macau |
| 優格 / 优格 | yōugé | Taiwan |
The term refers to a milk-based product thickened through a bacterium-aided curdling process.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 酸奶 is composed of 酸 (sour) and 奶 (milk).
Which one should you use?
酸奶 is the most common, everyday term for yogurt in Mainland China. 酸牛奶 is a slightly more descriptive term often seen on product packaging, as it specifically includes the word for milk (牛奶). 发酵乳 is a technical or regulatory term used to describe fermented milk products in professional or industrial contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, 優酪乳 is commonly used for yogurt-based drinks, while the transliterated term 優格 is frequently used for yogurt. In Hong Kong and Macau, 乳酪 is often used to refer to yogurt or cheese-like dairy products.
How do you pronounce it?
suānnǎi
Did you know?
- The word 優格 used in Taiwan is a phonetic loanword derived from the English word 'yogurt' rather than a description of the food's taste.
- The term 乳酪 used in Hong Kong and Macau can refer to both yogurt and cheese, which can lead to confusion when ordering at a cafe.
- While 酸 means 'sour', in a culinary context it can also imply a 'fermented' or 'pickled' flavor, similar to how it is used in the word for pickled cabbage 酸菜.
Examples in context
- 這瓶酸奶不含乳糖。This bottle of yogurt does not contain lactose.This sentence is useful for mentioning that a bottle of 酸奶 does not contain lactose.Tatoeba #6096249 by xjjAstrus, translation #6106211 by Sethlang
- 你最喜欢哪一种酸奶？What sort of yogurt do you like best?This sentence is useful for asking someone which sort of 酸奶 they like best.Tatoeba #4762213 by billt_estates, translation #3632495 by patgfisher
- 她喜歡吃草莓味的酸奶。She likes to drink strawberry-flavored yogurt.This sentence is useful for describing someone who likes to drink strawberry-flavored 酸奶.Tatoeba #6100184 by xjjAstrus, translation #6106890 by Sethlang
- 我今天吃了一杯优格。I had a cup of yogurt today.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Yuting are shopping in a supermarket.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，你想喝酸奶吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ xiǎng hē suānnǎi ma?Yuting, do you want to drink some yogurt?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想吃原味的酸奶。Wǒ xiǎng chī yuánwèi de suānnǎi.I want to eat plain yogurt.
- 伟 Wei那我们拿这一盒吧。Nà wǒmen ná zhè yī hé ba.Then let's take this one.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，谢谢你，伟。Hǎo de, xièxiè nǐ, Wěi.Okay, thank you, Wei.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yogurt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
