Meaning of 酸奶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- yogurt
How to use 酸奶
酸奶 is the everyday word for yogurt, both the spoonable kind and the drinkable kind sold in bottles. It is often counted with 杯 (bēi) for a cup or 瓶 (píng) for a bottle. Example: 我早上喝一瓶酸奶。(Wǒ zǎoshang hē yì píng suānnǎi.) I drink a bottle of yogurt in the morning.
酸奶 is literally "sour milk": 酸 (suān) means sour and 奶 (nǎi) means milk. Yogurt is milk that has turned pleasantly sour, so the name describes exactly what it is.
Common mistake: Learners often say 吃酸奶 for every kind of yogurt, but Chinese speakers usually say 喝酸奶 (hē suānnǎi), since much yogurt in China is drinkable. 吃 (chī) also works for thick yogurt. Also keep the third tone on 奶 (nǎi), and do not confuse 酸 (suān) with 算 (suàn, to calculate).
酸奶 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.
酸 suān · sour · 14 strokes
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奶 nǎi · breast · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 酸奶.
| 奶奶 | nǎinai | (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother); (respectful) mistress of the house |
| 牛奶 | niúnǎi | cow's milk |
| 奶茶 | nǎichá | milk tea |
| 酸甜苦辣 | suān-tián-kǔ-là | (lit.) sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (idiom); (fig.) all kinds of flavors; the joys and so |
| 奶牛 | nǎiniú | milk cow; dairy cow |
| 奶粉 | nǎifěn | powdered milk |
| 心酸 | xīnsuān | to feel sad |
| 辛酸 | xīnsuān | pungent (taste); bitter |
| 奶酪 | nǎilào | cheese |
| 奶油 | nǎiyóu | cream; butter |
| 奶子 | nǎizi | (coll.) milk; (coll.) breast |
| 奶昔 | nǎixī | milkshake (Note: 昔[xi1] is loaned from English "shake" via Cantonese 昔, pr. sik1) |
Questions about 酸奶
What does 酸奶 mean?
酸奶 (suānnǎi) means "yogurt" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 酸奶?
酸奶 is made of 2 characters: 酸 (14 strokes), 奶 (5 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 酸奶 an HSK word?
Yes. 酸奶 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say "Greek yogurt" or "plain yogurt" in Chinese?
Greek yogurt is 希腊酸奶 (Xīlà suānnǎi). Plain or unsweetened yogurt is often called 无糖酸奶 (wú táng suānnǎi), meaning sugar-free yogurt.
What is the difference between 酸奶 and 牛奶?
牛奶 (niúnǎi) is regular cow's milk, while 酸奶 (suānnǎi) is milk that has been fermented into yogurt. Both share 奶 (nǎi), the general character for milk, also seen in 奶茶 (nǎichá, milk tea) and 奶粉 (nǎifěn, powdered milk).