奶

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

奶 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 女弓竹尸 (VNHS), four-corner 4742₇, composition ⿰女乃)

Derived characters

• 𣐨, 𫇵, 𪺫

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 255, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6043
• Dae Jaweon: page 518, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1024, character 6
• Unihan data for U+5976

Chinese

Glyph origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *rneːlʔ) : semantic 女 + phonetic 乃 (OC *nɯːʔ).

Etymology 1

Unknown.

Similar words in the area include Proto-Hmong-Mien *niaʔ²ᴰ (“mother”), Tibetan ཨ་ནེ (a ne), ནེ་ནེ (ne ne, “paternal aunt”), Khmer ញី (ñii, “female”). It may be comparable with Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-nja-n (“breast; milk; suck”), whence Nuosu ꑍ (nyip, “liquid milk”), ꀉꆂ (ax nie, “breast; milk”).

It is unknown how the Min forms relate to forms in other dialects. See this article for a discussion of the Min Nan etymon. For similar nasalisations in Min, compare 耳 (ěr).

Colloquial words in different Min dialects show considerable variation – most have an n- initial, but finals and tones differ greatly. Some propose that this is substrate influence, passed on from the maternal Baiyue lineages since the intermarriages between southward-migrating Han Chinese and native non-Han women. Other southern dialects also show remnants of this native word: Hakka nɛn⁵, Cantonese nin¹ (𢆡). Compare Thai นม (nom, “breast; breastmilk”), Zhuang noemz (“breast; breastmilk”).

The long-recognised Sino-Tibetan etymon in Chinese is 乳 (OC *njoʔ); see there for more.

Pronunciation

Definitions

奶

1. breast

   奶頭／奶头  ―  nǎitóu  ―  nipple

   • 真奶假奶都是奶，有屌沒屌都很屌 [MSC, trad.]
     真奶假奶都是奶，有屌没屌都很屌 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2020 October 30, a slogan used in the 2020 Taiwan Trans-March

     zhēn nǎi jiǎ nǎi dōu shì nǎi, yǒu diǎo méi diǎo dōu hěn diǎo

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. milk; breast milk

   飲奶／饮奶 [Cantonese]  ―  jam² naai⁵   ―  to drink milk

3. to nurse
4. to breastfeed; to suckle
5. (in compounds) infant; infantile; milk (teeth, name, etc.)

   奶名  ―  nǎimíng  ―  childhood name

   奶聲奶氣／奶声奶气  ―  nǎishēngnǎiqì  ―  childish voice

6. (regional) mother
7. (regional) grandmother

Synonyms

• (grandmother):

• (breast):

• (milk):

Compounds

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Definitions

奶

1. (Hokkien) to behave in a coy, childish or coquettish manner; to coax; to wheedle

Compounds

Etymology 3

References

• “奶”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Readings

• Go-on: ない (nai); ね (ne)
• Kan-on: だい (dai)
• Kun: ちち (chichi, 奶); はぐくむ (hagukumu, 奶む)

Korean

Hanja

奶 (eumhun 젖 내 (jeot nae))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

奶: Hán Nôm readings: nãi, nái

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.