驾 meaning and stroke order
To harness; to draw (a cart etc); to drive
How to write 驾, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 8
Meaning of 驾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to harness
- to draw (a cart etc)
- to drive
- to pilot
- to sail
- to ride
How 驾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
马 gives the meaning and 加 hints at the sound.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 驾
驾 puts 加 (jiā, to add) on top of 马 (mǎ, horse). Think of adding a harness to a horse so you can drive it, and 加 also gives the sound jià.
Today 驾 mostly appears in words about driving or piloting, such as 驾驶 (jiàshǐ) and 驾照 (jiàzhào). It is rarely used alone in speech, where 开车 (kāichē) is the everyday way to say drive. Example: 他昨天拿到了驾照。(Tā zuótiān ná dào le jiàzhào.) He got his driver's license yesterday.
Common mistake: Learners often read 驾 with the first tone of 加 (jiā), but it is fourth tone, jià. Also do not confuse it with 骂 (mà, to scold), which has two 口 on top of 马 instead of 加.
Common words with 驾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 驾驶 | jiàshǐ | to drive (vehicle); to pilot (ship, airplane etc); driver; pilot; captain | HSK 5 |
| 驾照 | jiàzhào | driver's license (abbr. for 駕駛執照|驾驶执照[jia4 shi3 zhi2 zhao4]) | HSK 5 |
| 驾车 | jià chē | to drive a vehicle | HSK 7-9 |
| 驾驭 | jiàyù | to urge on (of horse); to drive | HSK 7-9 |
| 驾驶员 | jiàshǐyuán | pilot; driver | |
| 劳驾 | láojià | excuse me | |
| 驾驶舱 | jiàshǐcāng | cockpit; control cabin | |
| 大驾光临 | dàjiàguānglín | we are honored by your presence | |
| 驾驶室 | jiàshǐshì | cab (of a locomotive, truck etc); driver's compartment; wheelhouse | |
| 副驾驶 | fùjiàshǐ | copilot; co-driver (abbr. for 副駕駛員|副驾驶员[fu4 jia4 shi3 yuan2]); front passenger seat (abbr. | |
| 驾驶执照 | jiàshǐzhízhào | driver's license | |
| 驾驶证 | jiàshǐzhèng | driver's license | |
| 无人驾驶 | wúrénjiàshǐ | unmanned; unpiloted | |
| 驾崩 | jiàbēng | (of an emperor) to pass away |
驾 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 驾
How many strokes are in 驾?
驾 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 驾 mean?
驾 (jià) means to harness; to draw (a cart etc); to drive. A common word with it is 驾驶 (jiàshǐ), meaning "to drive (vehicle); to pilot (ship, airplane etc); driver; pilot; captain".
How do you pronounce 驾?
驾 is pronounced jià, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 驾?
The radical of 驾 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 驾 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 驾?
The traditional form of 驾 is 駕. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 驾 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 驾 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 驾 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 驾驶 and 开车?
开车 (kāichē) is casual and used in daily conversation for driving a car. 驾驶 (jiàshǐ) is more formal and also covers piloting planes and ships, so you see it on signs, in laws, and in job titles like 驾驶员 (jiàshǐyuán).
Why does 劳驾 mean excuse me?
劳驾 (láojià) literally means troubling your carriage, a polite way to say sorry to bother you. People use it when asking someone to move aside or help, as in 劳驾，让一下 (láojià, ràng yíxià), excuse me, let me through.