奶奶
paternal grandmother
HSK level
- Pinyin
- nǎinai
- Part of speech
- noun
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 10
- Register
- spoken
- Measure word
- 位 / 个
Stroke order for 奶奶
奶奶 is written with 10 strokes (奶: 5, 奶: 5). The animation replays automatically.
What does 奶奶 mean?
奶奶 (nǎinai) is the everyday word for 'paternal grandmother' — your father's mother.
Chinese family terms are far more specific than English ones: the mother's mother is a completely different word, 外婆 (wàipó) or 姥姥 (lǎolao). The 外 ('outside') prefix on maternal relatives reflects the traditional view that married daughters joined the husband's family, so the mother's side became 'outside' the patrilineal line. The doubled form 奶奶 (rather than just 奶) is typical of intimate family terms in Chinese — see also 爸爸, 妈妈, 哥哥.
奶奶 is also used as a respectful form of address for any elderly woman, similar to how English speakers might call any older woman 'grandma' (though in Chinese this is more universal). Note that 奶 by itself means 'milk' (牛奶 'cow milk') — context is what tells you which meaning is in play.
Note: Everyday term for father's mother. The more formal/written equivalent is 祖母 (zǔmǔ).
Character by character
Memory hook: Doubled, like many Chinese family words (爸爸, 妈妈, 哥哥) — the repetition signals warmth and intimacy.
Example sentences
我奶奶今年八十岁。
Wǒ nǎinai jīnnián bāshí suì.
My grandma is eighty this year.
spoken
周末我们要去看奶奶。
Zhōumò wǒmen yào qù kàn nǎinai.
We're going to visit grandma this weekend.
spoken
奶奶做的饭很好吃。
Nǎinai zuò de fàn hěn hǎochī.
The food grandma cooks is really delicious.
spoken
我小时候和爷爷奶奶住在一起。
Wǒ xiǎo shíhou hé yéye nǎinai zhù zài yìqǐ.
When I was little I lived with my grandparents.
neutral
奶奶，您慢慢走。
Nǎinai, nín mànman zǒu.
Grandma, walk slowly.
polite
Common phrases with 奶奶
Synonyms
祖母 is the formal/written term for paternal grandmother — used in documents, biographies, and formal speech. 奶奶 is what you actually call her and what you use in conversation.
Don't confuse 奶奶 with
外婆 (or 姥姥) is the maternal grandmother — your mother's mother. 奶奶 is the paternal grandmother — your father's mother. Chinese strictly distinguishes the two sides of the family; calling the wrong grandmother by the wrong term sounds incorrect.
FAQ
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