Cars & Driving in Chinese 开车
kāichē
Car / to drive in Chinese are 汽车 / 开车 (qì chē / kāi chē).
Also searched for as: car, drive, driving licence, parking.
On the road. 15 essential cars & driving 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.
To drive in Chinese is 开车 (kāi chē), and these words cover what you'll need on the road, from getting your 驾照 (jià zhào), driving licence, to finding a 停车场 (tíng chē chǎng), car park. They also include the everyday alternative, 打车 (dǎ chē), getting a taxi, which is often easier than driving and parking in big Chinese cities.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 汽车 | qì chē | car |
| 开车 | kāi chē | to drive |
| 司机 | sī jī | driver |
| 出租车 | chū zū chē | taxi |
| 打车 | dǎ chē | to get a taxi |
| 驾照 | jià zhào | driving licence |
| 加油站 | jiā yóu zhàn | petrol station |
| 停车 | tíng chē | to park |
| 停车场 | tíng chē chǎng | car park |
| 高速公路 | gāo sù gōng lù | motorway |
| 安全带 | ān quán dài | seat belt |
| 速度 | sù dù | speed |
| 交通 | jiāo tōng | traffic |
| 事故 | shì gù | accident |
| 修车 | xiū chē | to repair a car |
Usage tips
- Cars are counted with 辆 (liàng), as in 一辆汽车 (yī liàng qì chē), and the same measure word is used for bikes and buses.
- In everyday speech people usually just say 车 (chē) for a car, as in 你有车吗 (nǐ yǒu chē ma), have you got a car?, while 汽车 (qì chē) sounds more formal or general.
- To fasten a seat belt is 系安全带 (jì ān quán dài); 系 is read jì in this phrase, not xì.
Common mistakes
- Saying 你可以开我去机场吗 for 'can you drive me'; 开 takes the vehicle, not the person, so say 你可以开车送我去机场吗 (nǐ kě yǐ kāi chē sòng wǒ qù jī chǎng ma).
- Calling a petrol station 汽油站; the word is 加油站 (jiā yóu zhàn), literally 'add oil station', from 加油 (jiā yóu), to refuel, which is also the cheer for 'come on!'.
Mini dialogue
- A你有驾照吗？Nǐ yǒu jià zhào ma?Have you got a driving licence?
- B有，可是我很少开车。Yǒu, kě shì wǒ hěn shǎo kāi chē.Yes, but I rarely drive.
- A为什么？Wèi shén me?Why's that?
- B城里交通太堵，停车也很难，我一般打车。Chéng lǐ jiāo tōng tài dǔ, tíng chē yě hěn nán, wǒ yī bān dǎ chē.The traffic in town is too heavy and parking's hard, so I usually get a taxi.
Example sentences
- 他买了一辆新汽车。He bought a new car.
- 我爸爸每天开车上班。My dad drives to work every day.
- 我们坐出租车去吧。Let's take a taxi.
- 太晚了，我们打车回家吧。It's too late, let's get a taxi home.
- 我去年考了驾照。I got my driving licence last year.
- 前面有个加油站。There's a petrol station up ahead.
- 这里不能停车。You can't park here.
- 停车场在商场下面。The car park is under the shopping centre.
- 高速公路上车很多。There's a lot of traffic on the motorway.
- 上车请系好安全带。Please fasten your seat belt.
- 在城里开车速度要慢。You should drive slowly in town.
- 这个城市的交通很方便。Transport in this city is very convenient.
- 前面发生了交通事故。There's been a traffic accident ahead.
- 我的车坏了，得去修车。My car has broken down, I need to get it repaired.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Cars & driving speaking island has 8 everyday questions about cars & driving to prepare your own answers to.