Meaning of 牛奶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- cow's milk
Measure word: 瓶,杯
How to use 牛奶
牛奶 is the everyday word for milk you drink, buy in shops, or add to coffee. It often appears with the measure words 杯 (bēi) or 瓶 (píng). Example: 我早上喝一杯牛奶。(Wǒ zǎoshang hē yì bēi niúnǎi.) I drink a glass of milk in the morning.
牛 (niú) means cow and 奶 (nǎi) means milk, so 牛奶 is simply cow milk. Notice that 奶 has 女 (woman) on the left, a nice reminder that milk comes from a mother.
Common mistake: Learners often flip the order and say 奶牛 (nǎiniú), which means dairy cow, not milk. In Chinese the last character is the main thing, so 牛奶 is milk and 奶牛 is a cow.
牛奶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
牛 niú · ox · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
奶 nǎi · breast · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 牛奶.
| 奶奶 | nǎinai | (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother); (respectful) mistress of the house |
| 奶茶 | nǎichá | milk tea |
| 酸奶 | suānnǎi | yogurt |
| 牛仔裤 | niúzǎikù | jeans |
| 奶牛 | nǎiniú | milk cow; dairy cow |
| 奶粉 | nǎifěn | powdered milk |
| 吹牛 | chuīniú | to talk big; to brag; to shoot off one's mouth; (dialect) to chat idly |
| 牛仔 | niúzǎi | cowboy |
| 奶酪 | nǎilào | cheese |
| 奶油 | nǎiyóu | cream; butter |
| 牛排 | niúpái | steak |
| 牛肉 | niúròu | beef |
Questions about 牛奶
What does 牛奶 mean?
牛奶 (niúnǎi) means "cow's milk" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 牛奶?
牛奶 is made of 2 characters: 牛 (4 strokes), 奶 (5 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 牛奶 an HSK word?
Yes. 牛奶 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I just say 奶 for milk?
In casual speech 奶 alone sometimes means milk, especially for babies or in words like 酸奶 (suānnǎi, yogurt) and 奶茶 (nǎichá, milk tea). For a glass of regular milk, 牛奶 is the normal choice.
How do I say other kinds of milk, like soy milk?
Swap the first part. Soy milk is 豆浆 (dòujiāng) or 豆奶 (dòunǎi), and goat milk is 羊奶 (yángnǎi). Powdered milk is 奶粉 (nǎifěn).