1.
breast milk; milk
Milk, especially breast milk produced by a mother for nursing. Also used for animal milk in traditional or literary contexts.
赤ちゃんに乳をやる。
Nurse the baby.
母乳が出なくて、粉ミルクにした。
Breast milk wasn't coming, so we switched to formula.
子牛が母親の乳を飲んでいる。
The calf is drinking its mother's milk.
2.
breast; bosom
The breast or chest, especially a woman's breast. Often written in hiragana in modern usage.
乳が張ってきた。
My breasts have become swollen.
赤ちゃんが乳に吸いついている。
The baby is latched onto the breast.
母は乳飲み子を抱えながら働いていた。
My mother was working while caring for a nursing infant.
Refers to both breast milk and the breast itself. The two senses are closely connected. In compounds, the readings にゅう (on'yomi) and ち/ちち (kun'yomi) are both common.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 乳をやる — to nurse, to breastfeed
- 乳を飲む — to drink milk (nursing)
- 乳が張る — breasts become swollen (with milk)
- 乳飲み子 — nursing infant
- 乳離れ — weaning
COMMON COMPOUNDS (にゅう reading):
- 牛乳 — cow's milk
- 母乳 — breast milk
- 乳製品 — dairy products
- 乳児 — infant
- 乳酸 — lactic acid
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ミルク — milk (everyday word for drinking milk)
- 胸 — chest, breast (more general and common in modern speech)
- おっぱい — breast; milk (informal/childish)
Related Words
Homophone:
父 (father)