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奶糖 (nǎi táng) — toffee

Definition

奶糖 literally means 'milk candy' — a chewy, milk-flavored candy. In modern Chinese usage it commonly refers to toffees or soft milk caramels, the kind sold in boxes as a gift.

noun
toffee
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 奶糖。
    Wǒ mǎi le yí kuài nǎi táng.
    I bought a piece of toffee.
  • 奶糖。
    Zhè zhǒng nǎi táng hěn hǎo chī.
    This kind of toffee is very tasty.
  • 奶糖。
    Tā sòng gěi wǒ yì hé nǎi táng.
    He gave me a box of toffees.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

奶nǎimilk
糖tángcandy

奶 gives milk and 糖 gives candy, together meaning a milk candy.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
乃
乃nǎi奶nǎi
Same sound today

奶 combines 女, a woman, and 乃, which gives the sound.

Open 奶 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
唐
唐táng糖
Same sound today

糖 is made from 米 (rice) and 唐, which gives the sound táng.

Open 糖 →
Appears in
Food (General)

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