御 yù — defend; imperial; to drive; defend; resist
古时候，士兵守卫着皇帝的御花园。Gǔ shí hou, shì bīng shǒu wèi zhe huáng dì de yù huā yuán.In ancient times, soldiers guarded the emperor imperial garden.
Common words: 防御 (fáng yù)、抵御 (dǐ yù)、御手 (yù shǒu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to drive"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to drive", including 御 (yù), 驱 (qū), 驾 (jià). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to drive" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 御 (yù), 驱 (qū), 驾 (jià) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yù, qū, jià — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 御 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 御 yùdefend; imperial; to drive; defend; resistUseful words: 防御, 抵御
- 驱 qūto expel; to urge on; to drive; to run quicklyUseful words: 驱逐, 驱动
- 驾 jiàto drive; to draw; to harness; to mountUseful words: 驾驶, 驾照
Common words for these 3 "to drive" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 御 (yù) — so "to drive" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
防御fáng yùdefense; to defend抵御dǐ yùto resist; to withstand御用yù yòngfor use by the emperor; imperial; (derog.) in the pay of the ruler驱逐qū zhúto expel; to deport; banishment驱动qū dòngto drive; to propel; drive (vehicle wheel); drive mechanism (tape or disk)前驱qián qūprecursor; pioneer驾驶jià shǐto drive (vehicle); to pilot (ship, airplane etc); driver; pilot驾照jià zhàodriver's license劳驾láo jiàexcuse me
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 "to drive".
驱 qū — to expel; to urge on; to drive; to run quickly
一杯热茶可以帮我们驱寒。Yì bēi rè chá kě yǐ bāng wǒ men qū hán.A cup of hot tea can help drive away the cold.
Common words: 驱逐 (qū zhú)、驱动 (qū dòng)、前驱 (qián qū)
驾 jià — to drive; to draw; to harness; to mount
他正在学习驾驶汽车。Tā zhèng zài xué xí jià shǐ qì chē.He is learning to drive a car.
Common words: 驾驶 (jià shǐ)、驾照 (jià zhào)、劳驾 (láo jià)
All 3 characters
Open 御、驱、驾 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.