Planes & Airports in Chinese 飞机
fēijī
Plane / airport in Chinese are 飞机 / 机场 (fēi jī / jī chǎng).
Also searched for as: airport, plane, flight, boarding pass.
In the air. 15 essential planes & airports 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 plane in Chinese is 飞机 (fēi jī), literally a 'flying machine', and the airport is 机场 (jī chǎng), the 'machine field'. These words take you from booking a 机票 (jī piào), plane ticket, to checking in your 行李 (xíng li), getting through 安检 (ān jiǎn), security, and finally landing. They're the words you'll hear in announcements and at the check-in desk, so they're worth knowing before your first flight to China.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 飞机 | fēi jī | plane |
| 机场 | jī chǎng | airport |
| 航班 | háng bān | flight |
| 登机 | dēng jī | to board (a plane) |
| 登机牌 | dēng jī pái | boarding pass |
| 护照 | hù zhào | passport |
| 签证 | qiān zhèng | visa |
| 行李 | xíng li | luggage |
| 托运 | tuō yùn | to check in (luggage) |
| 安检 | ān jiǎn | security check |
| 起飞 | qǐ fēi | to take off |
| 降落 | jiàng luò | to land |
| 机票 | jī piào | plane ticket |
| 延误 | yán wu | delay |
| 海关 | hǎi guān | customs |
Usage tips
- Announcements use formal verbs such as 起飞 (qǐ fēi) take off, 降落 (jiàng luò) land and 登机 (dēng jī) board, but in conversation people usually just say 上飞机 (shàng fēi jī) and 下飞机 (xià fēi jī).
- 航班 (háng bān) is a specific flight with a number, so you ask 你坐哪个航班？ (nǐ zuò nǎ ge háng bān?), whereas 'travel by plane' is simply 坐飞机 (zuò fēi jī).
- Checked luggage is 托运行李 (tuō yùn xíng li) and hand luggage is 随身行李 (suí shēn xíng li); at the desk you may be asked 有没有要托运的？ (yǒu méi yǒu yào tuō yùn de?), 'anything to check in?'.
Common mistakes
- Counting luggage with 个 → the standard measure word is 件 (jiàn), as in 两件行李 (liǎng jiàn xíng li).
- Mixing up 登机 (dēng jī) 'to board' and 登记 (dēng jì) 'to register', which differ only in the tone of the second syllable → at the gate it's always dēng jī, with 机 for 'plane'.
- Saying 飞机迟到了 for a delayed flight → flights are 延误 (yán wù) or 晚点 (wǎn diǎn): 航班晚点了 (háng bān wǎn diǎn le).
Mini dialogue
- A你的航班几点起飞？Nǐ de háng bān jǐ diǎn qǐ fēi?What time does your flight take off?
- B本来是十点，但是延误了一个小时。Běn lái shì shí diǎn, dàn shì yán wù le yī ge xiǎo shí.It was meant to be ten, but it's been delayed by an hour.
- A那你先去托运行李，再过安检吧。Nà nǐ xiān qù tuō yùn xíng li, zài guò ān jiǎn ba.Then check in your luggage first and go through security.
- B好。护照和登机牌我都带好了。Hǎo. Hù zhào hé dēng jī pái wǒ dōu dài hǎo le.OK. I've got my passport and boarding pass ready.
- A一路平安！到了给我发微信。Yī lù píng ān! Dào le gěi wǒ fā Wēi xìn.Have a safe trip! Send me a WeChat message when you land.
Example sentences
- 飞机下午三点到。The plane arrives at three in the afternoon.
- 我送你去机场吧。Let me take you to the airport.
- 我们的航班几点起飞？What time does our flight take off?
- 请大家准备登机。Please get ready to board.
- 请出示您的登机牌。Please show your boarding pass.
- 别忘了带护照！Don't forget your passport!
- 去中国需要签证吗？Do you need a visa to go to China?
- 你的行李太重了。Your luggage is too heavy.
- 这个箱子要托运。This suitcase needs to be checked in.
- 过安检的人很多。There's a big queue for security.
- 飞机准时起飞了。The plane took off on time.
- 飞机马上要降落了。The plane is about to land.
- 我在网上买了机票。I bought the plane ticket online.
- 因为天气，航班延误了。The flight was delayed because of the weather.
- 过海关的时候要排队。You have to queue to go through customs.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Planes & airports speaking island has 8 everyday questions about planes & airports to prepare your own answers to.