naai5 fan2奶粉
Jyutpingnaai5 fan2
Yalenáaih fán
Definition
Powdered milk or milk powder.
colloquialfoodfamily
How it's used
Beyond its literal meaning, this term is deeply tied to Hong Kong's retail culture due to high demand from cross-border shoppers. It is almost exclusively associated with infant formula rather than powdered milk for adults, which is usually referred to as 奶粉 for babies or 脫脂奶粉 for general cooking or dietary use.
Measure word
gun3罐gunExamples
Which brand of milk powder is the kid drinking?
We've run out of milk powder at home, need to go downstairs and buy a tin.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 鮮奶, which refers to fresh liquid milk. If you are looking for adult milk powder, it is safer to specify the type, such as 脫脂奶粉 or 高鈣奶粉, to avoid confusion with infant formula.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
