ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

milk; grandma

nǎi
5 strokes · 女 (woman radical) + 乃 (thereupon, sound nǎi) · HSK 2

Where 奶 comes from

女 grounds 奶 in motherhood; 乃 — itself an ancient pictograph tied to nursing — gives the sound. One character covers the milk, the breast that gives it, and by affectionate extension the grandmother: nourishment across generations.

奶 in Chinese culture

奶奶 grandma is often a Chinese child's primary caretaker — the national grandparent childcare system has no formal name but raises half the country. 奶茶 milk tea conquered the beverage world: bubble tea queues are 奶茶's empire.

Example

牛奶 niúnǎi — milk

我每天早上喝牛奶。
Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang hē niúnǎi.
I drink milk every morning.

How to remember it

The woman 女 who nourishes — MILK, and the grandma who pours it.

奶茶自由 'milk-tea freedom' — earning enough to buy bubble tea without checking the price — is the internet's first rung of financial independence.

Same sound, different tones

3rd nǎi
milk
4th nài
to endure

Words unlocked by 奶

牛奶 niúnǎi
milk
奶奶 nǎinai
grandma
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