n.
airplane; aircraft
飞机
airplane; aircraft
Literally 'flying machine' (飞 fly + 机 machine). Airplane; measure word is 架 (jià). Pair with 坐飞机 (take a plane).
Common Usage & Traps
- 坐飞机 — to take a plane
- 一架飞机 — one airplane
- 大飞机 — large airplane
- 上飞机 — to board a plane
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一个飞机一架飞机Planes use the measure word 架, not the default 个.
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我开飞机去北京我坐飞机去北京开 means piloting the plane; as a passenger you 坐飞机.
Can I say 一个飞机?
No. Planes use 架, so 一架飞机 is correct.
Planes use the measure word 架, not the all-purpose 个. So one plane is 一架飞机, never 一个飞机. You can still use 个 for many everyday nouns, like 一个苹果.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Plane counting | 一架飞机 | 一个飞机 |
| General counting | 一个苹果 | 一架苹果 |
If I'm a passenger, can I say 我开飞机去北京?
No. 开飞机 means you are the pilot, not a passenger.
开 means to operate a vehicle, like a pilot flying a plane. If you are the pilot, 开飞机 is correct. If you bought a ticket and sit in the cabin, use 坐飞机. Saying 我开飞机去北京 tells people you are flying the plane yourself.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger | 我坐飞机去北京 | 我开飞机去北京 |
| Pilot | 他开飞机 | 他坐飞机 for piloting |
Why does Chinese say 大飞机 in one place but 飞机很大 in another?
大 goes before 飞机; 很 goes after it.
A describing word before a noun works like a label: 大飞机 means a big plane. A describing word after 很 comments on the noun: 飞机很大 means the plane is big. If you say 飞机大 alone, it sounds like a comparison waiting for a second half.
“我们坐的飞机很大，是五百人的大飞机。” (The plane we took was very big; it was a large plane that could hold 500 people.)
“我们坐的飞机很大，是五百人的大飞机。” (The plane we took was very big; it was a large plane that could hold 500 people.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Label before noun | 大飞机 | 飞机大 |
| Comment after noun | 飞机很大 | 飞机大 as a full sentence |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
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。
Read about a work trip to Beijing where a group of colleagues takes a very large airplane. Practice weather words and actions in a simple travel story.
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我们坐的 飞机 很大，是五百人的大 飞机 。
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我们下 飞机 的时候是白天，但是天气有一点儿冷。
This playful poem will make you smile as you explore how Chinese words like 'computer' and 'phone' can be funnier than they seem. Get ready to enjoy simple HSK 1 vocabulary and a twist of logic!
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手机在手中， 飞机 真会飞。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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