Meaning of 车
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- car
- vehicle
- machine
- to shape with a lathe
- Kangxi radical 159
Measure word: 輛|辆
- surname Che
- war chariot (archaic)
- rook (in Chinese chess)
- rook (in chess)
How to use 车
车 (chē) is the everyday word for any vehicle, and it combines with other characters to name specific ones, like 汽车 (qìchē) car and 火车 (huǒchē) train. It also appears in common verbs such as 开车 (kāichē) to drive, 上车 (shàng chē) to get on, and 下车 (xià chē) to get off. Example: 我们在这里下车。(Wǒmen zài zhèlǐ xià chē.) We get off here.
The traditional form 車 looks like a cart seen from above: a box in the middle with an axle running through and wheels on each end. The simplified 车 keeps that axle line, so think of it as a quick sketch of a vehicle.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 车 with 东 (dōng, east), since both have a similar top, but 车 ends with a straight vertical stroke through a horizontal line while 东 has two small dots at the bottom. Also remember the tone is first tone chē, not chě or chè.
车 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
车 chē · car · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 车.
| 开车 | kāichē | to drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual jok |
| 火车 | huǒchē | train |
| 上车 | shàng chē | to get on or into (a bus, train, car etc) |
| 汽车 | qìchē | car; automobile |
| 下车 | xià chē | to get off or out of (a bus, train, car etc) |
| 车上 | chē shang | |
| 车站 | chēzhàn | rail station; bus stop |
| 车票 | chēpiào | ticket for a bus or train |
| 打车 | dǎchē | to take a taxi (in town); to hitch a lift |
| 停车 | tíngchē | to pull up (stop one's vehicle); to park |
| 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi; (Tw) rental car |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle; bike |
Questions about 车
What does 车 mean?
车 (chē) means "car; vehicle" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 车?
车 is made of 1 character: 车 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 车 an HSK word?
Yes. 车 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 车 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 车 is written 車.
Why is 车 sometimes read jū?
The reading jū is used for the rook piece in Chinese chess and for the archaic meaning of war chariot. In everyday modern speech about cars and vehicles, always say chē.
Does 开车 have any slang meaning?
Yes. Besides meaning to drive a car or train, 开车 (kāichē) is internet slang for posting sexual content or making a dirty joke. Context usually makes the meaning clear.