ngau4 naa2牛乸

Jyutpingngau4 naa2

Yalengàuh ná

Definition

A cow; a female bovine.

colloquialanimals

How it's used

The character 乸 is a common suffix in Cantonese used to denote the female of a species, especially for animals. It is distinct from the more formal or biological terms and carries a very colloquial, rural, or grounded feel. You will frequently hear it applied to other animals like 貓乸 or 狗乸 to specify gender.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

go2嗰zek3隻ngau4牛naa2乸hou2好ci5似beng6病zo2咗gam3咁。

That cow looks like it is sick.

nei5你gin3見m4唔gin3見dou3到go2嗰zek3隻ngau4牛naa2乸喺hai2邊bin1呀？

Do you see where that cow is?

Common phrases

jat1一zek3隻ngau4牛laa2乸

a cow

Common mistake

Do not use 乸 to refer to human females, as it is considered derogatory and offensive when applied to people. It is strictly reserved for animals or, in very specific slang contexts, to describe things that are oversized or coarse.