车 chē / jū — car; a vehicle; machine; to shape with a lathe; vehicle on land
上下班的时候车很多。Shàng xià bān de shí hou chē hěn duō.There are many cars during commuting hours.
Common words: 汽车 (qì chē)、开车 (kāi chē)、出租车 (chū zū chē)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "car"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "car", including 车 (chē / jū), 刹 (shā / chà). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "car" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 车 (chē / jū), 刹 (shā / chà) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chē, jū, shā, chà — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 车 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 车 chē / jūcar; a vehicle; machine; to shape with a lathe; vehicle on landUseful words: 汽车, 开车
- 刹 shā / chàBuddhist monastery or temple; a brief moment; to brake (car)Useful words: 刹车, 刹那
Common words for these 2 "car" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 车 (chē / jū) — so "car" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
汽车qì chēcar; automobile; bus开车kāi chēto drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual joke出租车chū zū chētaxi; (Tw) rental car刹车shā chēto brake (when driving); to stop; to switch off; to check (bad habits)刹那chà nàan instant (Sanskrit: ksana); split second; the twinkling of an eye一刹那yī chà nàa moment; an instant; in a flash
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 2 ways to say "car".
刹 shā / chà — Buddhist monastery or temple; a brief moment; to brake (car)
看到红灯，司机赶紧踩了刹车。Kàn dào hóng dēng, sī jī gǎn jǐn cǎi le shā chē.Seeing the red light, the driver quickly stepped on the brakes.
Common words: 刹车 (shā chē)、刹那 (chà nà)、一刹那 (yī chà nà)
All 2 characters
Open 车、刹 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.