Bikes & Scooters in Chinese 自行车
zìxíngchē
Bicycle in Chinese is 自行车 (zì xíng chē).
Also searched for as: bicycle, bike, electric scooter, cycling.
Or pedal yourself there? 15 essential bikes & scooters words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for bicycle in Chinese is 自行车 (zì xíng chē), literally a 'self-moving vehicle'. These words cover cycling around a Chinese city, from unlocking a 共享单车 (gòng xiǎng dān chē), a shared bike, with your phone to sharing the road with the 电动车 (diàn dòng chē) that delivery riders use. You'll also find the words for helmets, brakes, flat tyres and cycle lanes, plus the verb 骑 (qí) for riding.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 自行车 | zì xíng chē | bicycle |
| 骑 | qí | to ride |
| 共享单车 | gòng xiǎng dān chē | shared bike |
| 电动车 | diàn dòng chē | e-bike; electric scooter |
| 头盔 | tóu kuī | helmet |
| 车锁 | chē suǒ | bike lock |
| 扫码开锁 | sǎo mǎ kāi suǒ | scan to unlock |
| 自行车道 | zì xíng chē dào | cycle lane |
| 刹车 | shā chē | brake |
| 轮胎 | lún tāi | tyre |
| 打气 | dǎ qì | to pump up (a tyre) |
| 停车 | tíng chē | to park |
| 摔倒 | shuāi dǎo | to fall over |
| 铃 | líng | bell |
| 上坡 | shàng pō | uphill |
Usage tips
- Use 骑 (qí) for anything you sit astride, so you 骑自行车 (qí zì xíng chē) and 骑电动车 (qí diàn dòng chē); for vehicles you sit inside, use 坐 (zuò) or 开 (kāi).
- 自行车 (zì xíng chē) is understood everywhere, but in southern China you'll often hear 单车 (dān chē), in Taiwan 脚踏车 (jiǎo tà chē), and in Singapore and Malaysia 脚车 (jiǎo chē).
- The measure word for bikes and other vehicles is 辆 (liàng): 一辆自行车 (yī liàng zì xíng chē), 两辆电动车 (liǎng liàng diàn dòng chē).
Common mistakes
- Saying 坐自行车 (zuò zì xíng chē) for 'ride a bike' → that sounds like you're sitting on it as a passenger; the rider 骑自行车 (qí zì xíng chē).
- Reading 刹车 as chà chē because 刹 is chà in words like 刹那 (chà nà) → for 'brake' it's shā chē.
- Translating 'the tyre is flat' literally as 轮胎是平的 → say 轮胎没气了 (lún tāi méi qì le), 'the tyre has no air'.
Mini dialogue
- A你今天怎么来的？Nǐ jīn tiān zěn me lái de?How did you get here today?
- B我骑共享单车来的，扫码开锁很方便。Wǒ qí gòng xiǎng dān chē lái de, sǎo mǎ kāi suǒ hěn fāng biàn.I came on a shared bike. Scanning to unlock is really convenient.
- A你戴头盔了吗？这条路车很多。Nǐ dài tóu kuī le ma? Zhè tiáo lù chē hěn duō.Did you wear a helmet? There's a lot of traffic on this road.
- B戴了。还好这条路有自行车道。Dài le. Hái hǎo zhè tiáo lù yǒu zì xíng chē dào.I did. Luckily this road has a cycle lane.
Example sentences
- 我每天骑自行车上班。I cycle to work every day.
- 你会骑自行车吗？Can you ride a bike?
- 路边有很多共享单车。There are lots of shared bikes by the roadside.
- 外卖员都骑电动车。Delivery riders all ride e-bikes.
- 骑车要戴头盔。Wear a helmet when you cycle.
- 我忘了带车锁。I forgot my bike lock.
- 扫码开锁就能骑。Scan the code to unlock and ride.
- 这条路有自行车道。This road has a cycle lane.
- 刹车不太好用。The brakes aren't working well.
- 轮胎没气了。The tyre is flat.
- 给轮胎打打气。Pump up the tyre.
- 自行车不能停在这儿。You can't park your bike here.
- 我骑车摔倒了。I fell off my bike.
- 骑车时按一下铃。Ring the bell when riding.
- 上坡骑车很累。Cycling uphill is tiring.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Bikes & scooters speaking island has 8 everyday questions about bikes & scooters to prepare your own answers to.