牛奶
milk
niúnǎi
What does 牛奶 mean?
牛奶 (niúnǎi) means 'cow's milk' — the everyday word for the milk you drink. The compound is literal: 牛 (niú) 'cow' + 奶 (nǎi) 'milk,' so 牛奶 specifically marks 'cow milk' rather than goat milk (羊奶 yáng nǎi) or human breast milk (母乳 mǔrǔ). When ordering or talking about food in daily life, 牛奶 is the default — saying just 奶 sounds incomplete or could refer to other kinds of milk. Common pairings: 喝牛奶 (drink milk), 一杯牛奶 (a glass of milk), 一瓶牛奶 (a bottle), 一盒牛奶 (a carton). For typical varieties: 全脂牛奶 (whole milk), 脱脂牛奶 (skim milk), 酸奶 (suān nǎi, yogurt — note this drops 牛). Note that traditional Chinese cuisine uses much less dairy than Western food, so 牛奶 in older texts may carry a slightly 'modern' or 'Western' feel.
Character breakdown
cow; ox; cattle
milk; breast (女 'female' radical + 乃 phonetic)
Memory hook: 牛 'cow' + 奶 'milk' = literally 'cow milk.' Chinese is straightforward here.
Measure word for 牛奶
Example sentences
我每天早上喝牛奶。
Wǒ měi tiān zǎoshang hē niúnǎi.
I drink milk every morning.
spoken
请给我一杯热牛奶。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi rè niúnǎi.
Please give me a glass of hot milk.
spoken, polite
妹妹不喜欢牛奶。
Mèimei bù xǐhuan niúnǎi.
My younger sister doesn't like milk.
spoken
商店里卖的牛奶很新鲜。
Shāngdiàn lǐ mài de niúnǎi hěn xīnxiān.
The milk sold in the shop is very fresh.
neutral
你想喝牛奶还是茶？
Nǐ xiǎng hē niúnǎi háishi chá?
Do you want to drink milk or tea?
spoken
Common phrases with 牛奶
Synonyms
鲜奶 ('fresh milk') refers specifically to fresh, unprocessed milk — what you'd buy refrigerated rather than shelf-stable. 牛奶 is the general word that covers both fresh and ultra-pasteurized.
奶 alone is the bare word 'milk' but is rarely used by itself for cow's milk in standard speech — it's ambiguous (could be breast milk, formula). 牛奶 is the unambiguous everyday term.
Don't confuse 牛奶 with
酸奶 ('sour milk') is yogurt, not milk. Same 奶 character but with 酸 'sour' — a totally different product.
豆奶 is soy milk — made from beans (豆), not from cows. 牛奶 is from cows; 豆奶 is plant-based.
牛肉 (niúròu) is 'beef' — also starts with 牛 'cow.' The second character decides: 奶 = milk, 肉 = meat. Don't order 牛肉 thinking it's milk.