Common Usage & Traps
- 牛奶 — milk (cow's milk)
- 奶奶 — grandmother (paternal)
- 喝奶 — drink milk
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奶水牛奶奶水 means breast milk, not the everyday drink. Use 牛奶 for cow's milk.
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奶妈奶奶奶妈 means wet nurse, not grandmother. 奶奶 is the common family term.
奶
Origin & Mnemonic:
Breast milk from a woman. Milk, dairy, grandmother, or a wet nurse. A woman (女) with a curved breast (乃) squeezing out milk.
Why does 奶 mean both 'milk' and 'grandmother'?
奶 is not one word with two random meanings; 牛奶 is milk, and 奶奶 is a separate reduplicated family word.
Learners often see 奶 alone and assume it freely means both 'milk' and 'grandmother'. In real HSK 1 usage, milk is normally 牛奶, and grandmother is 奶奶. The single character 奶 is a building block, not a safe standalone word for both meanings.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 牛奶 | 奶 alone |
| Grandmother | 奶奶 | 奶 alone |
| Drink milk | 喝牛奶 | 喝奶水 |
How do I remember the difference between 奶 and 妈?
Both have 女, but 奶 appears in milk and grandmother words, while 妈 appears in mother words.
奶 and 妈 share the woman radical 女, so beginners mix them up. The practical difference is collocation: 牛奶 and 奶奶 use 奶; 妈妈 uses 妈. Do not rely on a fake story that 乃 means nursing and 马 means mother.
| Dimension | 奶 | 妈 |
|---|---|---|
| Common word | 牛奶 | 妈妈 |
| Meaning | milk; grandmother | mother |
| Example | 我喝牛奶。 | 我妈妈很好。 |
Appears in Stories 5 stories
Before you read, meet the grandparents! This rhyming chant helps you practice the different names for maternal and paternal grandparents in Chinese. Listen to the beat and repeat.
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爸爸的妈妈叫 奶奶 。
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爷爷和 奶奶 ，姥爷和姥姥，他们都爱我，我也爱他们。
This is a short dialogue about a shopping trip. A woman buys many things, including food, drinks, furniture, and pet food, while her boyfriend reminds her not to overspend.
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我买了鸡蛋、面包、 牛奶 ，还有一些水果，这些都是你和我的吃的和喝的东西，还有给我们的小猫和小狗吃的东西。
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
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面包一块二， 牛奶 四块三。
This simple story introduces you to a family and what each member likes to do. Learn helpful words for food and daily activities as you read about Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and the kids.
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爷爷吃面包， 奶奶 喝 牛奶 。
Before you read, think about names: a train is called 'fire vehicle' in Chinese, but there's no fire! This simple rhyme will help you laugh while reviewing everyday words.
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米饭不是米，鸡蛋不是蛋， 牛奶 不是 奶 。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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