nǎi
奶奶
milk; breast; grandmother
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
3 senses · 6 examplesnoun
grandmother (paternal or maternal)
informalUsed colloquially to address one's own grandmother. The neutral term is 祖母. In the word "奶奶 (nǎi nai)", it is used as a reduplicated affectionate term for grandmother.
Wǒ我
nǎi奶
nai奶
zuò做
de的
cài菜
zuì最
hǎo好
chī吃
。
My grandmother's cooking is the most delicious.
Nǎi奶
nai奶
，
gěi给
wǒ我
jiǎng讲
gè个
gù故
shi事
ba吧
。
Grandma, tell me a story.
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Wáng王
nǎi奶
nai奶
zhù住
zài在
wǒ我
jiā家
gé隔
bì壁
。
Granny Wang lives next door to my house.
noun
term of address for an elderly woman of grandmother's generation
informalA polite and affectionate way to address an elderly woman, often prefixed with her surname.
Zhāng张
nǎi奶
nai奶
，
nín您
shēn身
tǐ体
hái还
hǎo好
ma吗
？
Granny Zhang, how is your health?
Lín邻
jū居
jiā家
de的
Lǐ李
nǎi奶
nai奶
hěn很
cí慈
xiáng祥
。
Granny Li from the neighbor's house is very kind.
noun
young mistress of the house (archaic/dialectal)
archaicAn archaic or dialectal term for the young wife of the master of a wealthy household. Not commonly used in modern Mandarin.
（
jiù旧
shí时
yòng用
fǎ法
）
Wáng王
jiā家
gāng刚
qǔ娶
le了
xīn新
nǎi奶
nai奶
。
(Old usage) The Wang family just welcomed a new young mistress.