also: にゅうぼう
breast; udder
Refers to the mammary gland of a human or animal. In everyday use, ちぶさ is the standard reading; にゅうぼう is more technical or formal.
The baby is sucking at its mother's breast.
The cow's udder is swollen.
Before nursing, her breasts were engorged and painful.
The doctor palpated the breast to check for any abnormalities.
Apparently, milk supply isn't related to breast size.
乳房 refers specifically to the breast itself, while 胸元 more broadly describes the exposed chest area near the collar, as in clothing.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading ちぶさ is the most common and natural in modern Japanese.
Alternate on'yomi reading, mostly encountered in medical or formal contexts; less common in everyday speech.
The kanji 乳 (milk) and 房 (chamber, cluster) combine to mean 'milk chamber'. The reading ちぶさ is the native Japanese reading (kun'yomi), while にゅうぼう is the Sino-Japanese reading (on'yomi).