牛乳

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 牛乳 is read as ぎゅうにゅう and is a noun for cow’s milk used as a drink or cooking ingredient.
• Basic usage: Drinking warm milk appears in 温かい牛乳を飲む, while adding it gradually to flour appears in 小麦粉に牛乳を少しずつ加える.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A drink and a cooking ingredient
  • It can refer both to milk drunk on its own and to the liquid ingredient mixed into dough or a dish.
• Difference from ミルク
  • The meanings overlap, but the loanword can be used for products such as formula or creamer, while this word clearly identifies cow’s milk.