酸奶
suān nǎi · HSK 4
yogurt
🥛 酸奶 = sour (酸) + milk (奶)
Compound decomposition: 酸 means sour/acidic and 奶 means milk, so 酸奶 literally reads as sour milk — the standard Mandarin term for yogurt.
酸 — wine/jar radical 酉 + 夋 (phonetic)
酸 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 酉 depicts a wine jar and signals meanings related to fermentation and alcohol. The right side 夋 supplies the sound. Originally describing the sour taste of fermented wine, it broadened to mean 'sour' in general and figuratively 'aching' or 'sad'.
奶 — 女 (woman) + 乃 (phonetic)
奶 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 女 'woman' gives the meaning, linking the character to mothers and nursing, while the right side 乃 supplies the sound. It originally referred to breasts and breast milk, and later extended to milk in general and to terms for grandmother (奶奶).