naai4 naai2奶奶
Jyutpingnaai4 naai2
Yalenàaih náai
Definition
Milk, including breast milk or dairy milk, used in baby talk.
colloquialfoodfamily
How it's used
This term is strictly limited to baby talk and is used when speaking to infants or small children. Using it in a formal setting or with adults will sound extremely odd or overly cutesy. It functions as a noun for the liquid itself and is rarely used to describe the substance in a culinary or scientific context.
Measure word
zeon1樽jēunExamples
The baby is hungry and needs to drink milk.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the homophone 奶奶, which means paternal grandmother. The context of feeding or babies makes the intended meaning clear, but learners should be aware of the potential for confusion.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
