Common Usage & Traps
- 坐车 — to take a bus or car (as a passenger)
- 开车 — to drive
- 上车 — to get on a vehicle
- 下车 — to get off a vehicle
- 出租车 — taxi
- 我的车 — my car
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坐一个车坐车Cars don't take 个 here. Say 坐车 for the action, or name the vehicle.
车
Origin & Mnemonic:
A wheeled chariot or cart with two wheels and an axle. Car, bus, train, or any wheeled vehicle. A cart frame: two horizontal wheel strokes joined by a central vertical axle.
If you're the one driving, can you say 坐车?
No. 坐车 means you're a passenger; 开车 means you're the driver.
坐车 puts you in the passenger seat, whether it's a bus, taxi, or a friend's car. 开车 means your hands are on the wheel. If you drove yourself to school, say 我开车去学校, not 我坐车去学校.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| You are the driver | 我开车去学校 | 我坐车去学校 |
| You are a passenger | 我坐车去学校 | 我开车去学校 |
| You drove here | 我开车来的 | 我坐车来的 |
Why does 一个车 sound wrong even though 个 works for many words?
Cars take 辆, not 个. 一个车 sounds like you forgot the right measure word.
Many Chinese words have their own measure word. For cars, buses, and taxis, that word is 辆. So people say 一辆车 or 一辆出租车. 个 is the fallback, but using it for vehicles sounds off.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| One car | 一辆车 | 一个车 |
| One taxi | 一辆出租车 | 一个出租车 |
| Three cars | 三辆车 | 三个车 |
Can you use 上车 when you board a plane?
No. Planes take 上飞机 and 下飞机; 上车 is for cars, buses, and trains.
上车 and 下车 work for ground vehicles you step into. For a plane, Chinese switches to 上飞机 and 下飞机. So you say 我上车了 on a bus, but at the airport say 我要上飞机了.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Bus or taxi | 上车 / 下车 | 上飞机 / 下飞机 |
| Plane | 上飞机 / 下飞机 | 上车 / 下车 |
Appears in Stories 5 stories
This heartwarming story shows how a small act of kindness can be passed on. Follow Gao Xianming as he learns an important lesson about generosity in his new city.
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高先明去 坐车 。
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坐车 要九块钱，高先明手里有四块钱，少五块钱。
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高先明不能 上车 ，很不高兴。
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老先生对高先明说：“去上学吧， 上车 。”
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一个月后，高先明来这里 坐车 。
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有人没有钱 坐车 ，你给他这五块钱吧。”
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很多天后的一天早上，高先明来这里 坐车 。
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高先明看见一个中国同学安小语，也是手里少五块钱，不能 上车 。
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高先明对安小语说：“去上学吧， 上车 。”
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有人没有钱 坐车 ，你给他们吧。”
Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.
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北京到上海有飞机，也有 火车 。
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从北京到上海坐飞机，不到两个小时，但是要坐 火车 ，就要最少五个多小时。
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但是她可能会坐 火车 回上海。
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坐 火车 比坐飞机便宜得多，去飞机场也要花很多时间，所以，小商觉得坐 火车 比坐飞机好。
Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.
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昨天卖了我的 车 。
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明年我想买 新车 。
Before you read, think about names: a train is called 'fire vehicle' in Chinese, but there's no fire! This simple rhyme will help you laugh while reviewing everyday words.
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火车 没有火。
Read this short story about people waiting in the rain for a new phone. You will practice numbers, time, and everyday vocabulary.
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晚上，我坐 出租车 去大学那边的苹果商店买手机。
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