乳 (rǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “milk”. It is written from 孚 (to brood over eggs; to inspire trust) and 乚 (bent hook), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “milk”
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Structure
孚 + 乚
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 乳，从孚从乙（今形右部作乚）；笔画数以 hanzi-writer-data 核验 7+1=8
Memory aid
孚 shows a hand held protectively over a small one — care being given. 乚 curls in on the right like a sheltering arm. Together they make 乳: the milk a newborn is fed.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 乳牛rǔ niúdairy cow乳 = rǔ
- 乳白rǔ báimilky white; cream-coloured乳 = rǔ
- 母乳mǔ rǔbreast milk乳 = rǔspoken asmú rǔ
- 哺乳bǔ rǔto breastfeed; to suckle乳 = rǔspoken asbú rǔ
Go deeper
All readings
milk
milk; breast; (of an animal) to suckle; newborn, young
奶；乳房。也表示初生的、幼小的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 乳牛rǔ niúdairy cow乳 = rǔ
- 乳白rǔ báimilky white; cream-coloured乳 = rǔ
- 母乳mǔ rǔbreast milk乳 = rǔspoken asmú rǔ
- 哺乳bǔ rǔto breastfeed; to suckle乳 = rǔspoken asbú rǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 乳 mean?
乳 (rǔ) means milk; breast; (of an animal) to suckle; newborn, young.
How do you pronounce 乳?
It is pronounced rǔ.
What parts is 乳 made of?
孚 (to brood over eggs; to inspire trust) and 乚 (bent hook), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 乳，从孚从乙（今形右部作乚）；笔画数以 hanzi-writer-data 核验 7+1=8. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 乳 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 乳?
乙. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 乳?
Common ones are 乳牛, 乳白, 母乳. The reading of 乳 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.