mou5 ngau4母牛

Jyutpingmou5 ngau4

Yalemóuh ngàuh

名詞Rare

Definition

Cow; female cattle.

neutralanimals

How it's used

While 母牛 is the standard term used in formal or scientific contexts, native speakers almost exclusively use 牛乸 when referring to a female cow in daily life. Using 母牛 in casual conversation can sound slightly clinical or like you are reading from a textbook. It is common to hear people use 乸 as a suffix for female animals in general, such as 貓乸 for a female cat or 狗乸 for a female dog.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

go2嗰zek3隻mou5母ngau4牛hou2好daai6大zek3隻aa4呀。

That cow is really big.

nei5你gin3見m4唔gin3見dou3到go2嗰zek3隻mou5母ngau4牛喺hai2邊？

Do you see where that cow is?

Common phrases

jat1一zek3隻mou5母ngau4牛

a cow

Common mistake

Learners often mistakenly use 母牛 as the default word for any cow, but it specifically emphasizes the female gender. If you just want to refer to a cow in general, simply saying 牛 is more natural and common.