nana

/ˈnænə/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnænə/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈna-nə/ (ame, mw)

nana — noun

  • nanasingular
  • nanasplural

1. an affectionate, family-room name that a child (or anyone keeping the habit from

1.名詞A2
釋義

an affectionate, family-room name that a child (or anyone keeping the habit from childhood) uses for their grandmother, either when speaking to her directly or when mentioning her at home.

例句

Ife ran to the porch shouting, "Nana, look what I drew!"

direct address: 'Nana, ...'

Every Saturday, my nana bakes lemon cookies for the grandchildren.

possessive + nana for family member reference

同義詞
  • grandma

    the most common informal word in everyday English; very widely used across regions.

  • granny

    warm and child-like; sometimes feels slightly old-fashioned or rural.

  • grandmother

    neutral and formal; the standard word in writing and serious contexts.

  • nanny

    another affectionate form, mainly British; can also mean a hired childminder, so context matters.

反義詞
  • grandpa

    the matching child-friendly word for grandfather.

  • grandfather

    the formal male counterpart of 'grandmother'.

文法句型

my/your/his/her nana

Nana, ... (direct address)

用法筆記

Mainly used by young children, or by adults who kept the word from childhood; a formal speech about one's grandmother would use 'grandmother' instead. Common as a vocative (direct address) — 'Nana, come here!' — without 'my'.

常見錯誤

❌My nana served on the city council for ten years.
✅My grandmother served on the city council for ten years.
💡'nana' is too casual for formal or biographical contexts.
❌The nana picked up the children from school.
✅Their nana picked up the children from school.
💡'nana' normally takes a possessive like 'my/his/her', not a bare 'the'.