奶娘
nǎi​niáng

wet nurse

奶 nǎi, nai milk

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 乃 represents the sound.

Components

女
女 Meaning component
nǚ, nü woman
乃
乃 SoundIconic component
nǎi then

Depicts a woman standing sideways with her breasts protruding.

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangrneːlʔ

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

娘 niang, niáng mother

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 良 represents the sound. Simplified form of 孃.

Components

女
女 Meaning component
nǚ, nü woman
良
良 Sound component
liáng good

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangnaŋ
Unicodeniɑng

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica