Meaning and Usage
The kanji 乳 (ちち) primarily refers to milk or breast. It is often used in medical or biological contexts to mean breast, especially in compound words like 乳がん (breast cancer) or 母乳 (breast milk). It can also mean milk in the context of animals, such as cow's milk.
Common Collocations
- 母乳 (ぼにゅう): breast milk, used when talking about feeding babies.
- 乳がん (にゅうがん): breast cancer, a medical term.
- 乳牛 (にゅうぎゅう): dairy cow, referring to cows raised for milk.
Register and Nuance
乳 is a formal or technical term and is less commonly used in casual conversation to mean breast; instead, words like おっぱい are more common in informal speech. When referring to milk, 牛乳 (ぎゅうにゅう) is more common for cow's milk in everyday use.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 乳 (ちち) with 父 (ちち), which also reads ちち but means "father." Context is key: 乳 relates to milk or breast, while 父 means father. Pay attention to the kanji to avoid confusion.