航 háng — boat; ship; vessel; craft; to navigate; to sail
这趟航班准时起飞了。Zhè tàng háng bān zhǔn shí qǐ fēi le.This flight took off on time.
Common words: 航空 (háng kōng)、航班 (háng bān)、导航 (dǎo háng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "boat"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "boat", including 航 (háng), 搭 (dā), 舟 (zhōu). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "boat" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 航 (háng), 搭 (dā), 舟 (zhōu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span háng, dā, zhōu — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 航 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 航 hángboat; ship; vessel; craft; to navigate; to sailUseful words: 航空, 航班
- 搭 dābuild (scaffolding); take (boat; train); hang; join; matchUseful words: 搭配, 搭档
- 舟 zhōuboatUseful words: 龙舟, 同舟共济
Common words for these 3 "boat" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 航 (háng) — so "boat" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
航空háng kōngaviation航班háng bān(scheduled) flight; (scheduled) sailing导航dǎo háng(lit. and fig.) to navigate搭配dā pèito pair up; to match; to arrange in pairs; to add sth into a group搭档dā dàngto cooperate; partner搭乘dā chéngto ride as a passenger; to travel by (car, plane etc)龙舟lóng zhōudragon boat; imperial boat同舟共济tóng zhōu gòng jìcross a river in the same boat (idiom); fig. having common interests; obliged to collaborate towards common goals刻舟求剑kè zhōu qiú jiànlit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); fig. an action made pointless by changed circumstances
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "boat".
搭 dā — build (scaffolding); take (boat; train); hang; join; match
我们一起搭乘公交车去市中心。Wǒ men yì qǐ dā chéng gōng jiāo chē qù shì zhōng xīn.We take the bus together to the city center.
Common words: 搭配 (dā pèi)、搭档 (dā dàng)、搭乘 (dā chéng)
舟 zhōu — boat
一叶小舟在江面上轻轻飘荡。Yí yè xiǎo zhōu zài jiāng miàn shàng qīng qīng piāo dàng.A small boat drifts gently on the river.
Common words: 龙舟 (lóng zhōu)、同舟共济 (tóng zhōu gòng jì)、刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn)
All 3 characters
Open 航、搭、舟 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.