Travel Vocabulary
50+ Chinese words for transportation, hotels, directions, and tourist activities, with pinyin, English, examples, and HSK levels.
Transportation (交通工具 jiāotōng gōngjù)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 飞机 | fēijī | airplane | 我坐飞机去北京。I fly to Beijing. | 2 |
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport | 首都机场离市区很远。The Capital Airport is far from downtown. | 3 |
| 火车 | huǒchē | train | 坐火车可以看风景。You can see the scenery by train. | 1 |
| 高铁 | gāotiě | high-speed rail (HSR) | 高铁比飞机方便。The high-speed train is more convenient than flying. | — |
| 动车 | dòngchē | high-speed EMU train | 动车票比高铁便宜一点。EMU train tickets are a bit cheaper than HSR. | — |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | subway / metro | 坐地铁不堵车。There's no traffic when taking the subway. | 2 |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | public bus | 坐公共汽车比较便宜。Taking the bus is relatively cheap. | 2 |
| 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi | 我叫了一辆出租车。I called a taxi. | 2 |
| 滴滴 | Dīdī | DiDi (ride-hailing app) | 我用滴滴打车。I use DiDi to get a ride. | — |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle | 北京很多人骑自行车。Many people in Beijing ride bicycles. | 3 |
| 共享单车 | gòngxiǎng dānchē | shared bicycle (bike-share) | 美团共享单车很方便。Meituan bike-share is very convenient. | — |
| 摩托车 | mótuōchē | motorcycle | 骑摩托车要戴头盔。You must wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. | — |
| 船 | chuán | boat / ship | 我们坐船去游览西湖。We took a boat tour of West Lake. | 3 |
| 渡轮 | dùlún | ferry | 香港渡轮很有名。The Hong Kong Star Ferry is famous. | — |
| 缆车 | lǎnchē | cable car | 坐缆车上黄山。Take the cable car up Huangshan. | — |
Booking & Ticketing (订票 dìng piào)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 票 | piào | ticket | 火车票卖完了。Train tickets are sold out. | 2 |
| 预订 | yùdìng | to book / reserve | 我提前预订了机票。I booked the flight ticket in advance. | 4 |
| 订票 | dìng piào | to book a ticket | 你可以用12306订票。You can book tickets using 12306 (app). | — |
| 单程 | dānchéng | one-way | 我要一张单程票。I'd like a one-way ticket. | — |
| 往返 | wǎngfǎn | round-trip | 往返票比较便宜。Round-trip tickets are cheaper. | — |
| 出发 | chūfā | to depart / set off | 明天早上八点出发。Depart at 8am tomorrow. | 3 |
| 到达 | dàodá | to arrive | 几点到达上海？What time do we arrive in Shanghai? | 3 |
| 托运 | tuōyùn | to check luggage | 我要托运这个行李箱。I need to check this suitcase. | — |
| 行李 | xíngli | luggage | 你有几件行李？How many pieces of luggage do you have? | 3 |
| 登机口 | dēngjī kǒu | boarding gate | 请前往17号登机口。Please proceed to gate 17. | — |
| 登机 | dēngjī | to board a plane | 登机时间是几点？What time is boarding? | — |
Hotel (酒店 jiǔdiàn)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 酒店 | jiǔdiàn | hotel | 这家酒店有五星级。This is a five-star hotel. | 3 |
| 宾馆 | bīnguǎn | hotel / guesthouse | 附近有便宜的宾馆吗？Is there a cheap hotel nearby? | — |
| 民宿 | mínsù | B&B / homestay | 我喜欢住民宿体验当地生活。I like staying in homestays to experience local life. | — |
| 青年旅社 | qīngnián lǚshè | youth hostel | 这个青年旅社很干净。This youth hostel is very clean. | — |
| 入住 | rùzhù | to check in | 我要办理入住手续。I'd like to check in. | — |
| 退房 | tuìfáng | to check out | 退房时间是几点？What time is check-out? | — |
| 前台 | qiántái | front desk / reception | 有问题可以问前台。You can ask the front desk if you have questions. | — |
| 单人间 | dānrén jiān | single room | 我要一间单人间。I'd like a single room. | — |
| 双人间 | shuāngrén jiān | double room | 双人间有多少钱一晚？How much is a double room per night? | — |
| 套房 | tàofáng | suite | 我订了一个套房。I booked a suite. | — |
| 早餐 | zǎocān | breakfast | 早餐包括在内吗？Is breakfast included? | 2 |
| 无线网络 | wúxiàn wǎngluò | WiFi | 酒店有免费WiFi吗？Does the hotel have free WiFi? | — |
Documents (证件 zhèngjiàn)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 护照 | hùzhào | passport | 出国要带护照。You need to bring your passport to go abroad. | 3 |
| 签证 | qiānzhèng | visa | 我要申请中国签证。I need to apply for a Chinese visa. | 4 |
| 身份证 | shēnfènzhèng | ID card | 国内旅行用身份证就可以。For domestic travel, an ID card is sufficient. | — |
| 海关 | hǎiguān | customs | 请在海关申报物品。Please declare items at customs. | — |
| 入境 | rùjìng | to enter a country | 入境时要填表格。You need to fill out a form when entering the country. | — |
| 出境 | chūjìng | to exit a country | 出境检查很严格。Exit inspection is very strict. | — |
Directions (方向 fāngxiàng)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 左 | zuǒ | left | 向左转。Turn left. | 1 |
| 右 | yòu | right | 在右边。On the right side. | 1 |
| 直走 | zhí zǒu | go straight | 一直直走。Keep going straight. | — |
| 转弯 | zhuǎnwān | to turn | 到路口转弯。Turn at the intersection. | — |
| 红绿灯 | hónglǜdēng | traffic light | 在红绿灯处右转。Turn right at the traffic light. | — |
| 路口 | lùkǒu | intersection / junction | 到下个路口左转。Turn left at the next intersection. | — |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | in front / ahead | 博物馆就在前面。The museum is just ahead. | 2 |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | behind / in back | 停车场在后面。The parking lot is in the back. | 2 |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | beside / next to | 银行在商场旁边。The bank is next to the mall. | 2 |
| 对面 | duìmiàn | opposite / across from | 药店在医院对面。The pharmacy is across from the hospital. | 2 |
| 附近 | fùjìn | nearby / in the vicinity | 附近有地铁站吗？Is there a subway station nearby? | 3 |
| 远 | yuǎn | far | 从这里到机场很远。It's far from here to the airport. | 1 |
| 近 | jìn | close / nearby | 超市离这里很近。The supermarket is close to here. | 1 |
Tourist Sights (旅游景点 lǚyóu jǐngdiǎn)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 旅游 | lǚyóu | to travel / tourism | 我喜欢旅游。I like to travel. | 3 |
| 景点 | jǐngdiǎn | tourist attraction / scenic spot | 北京有很多景点。Beijing has many tourist attractions. | — |
| 门票 | ménpiào | admission ticket | 故宫门票多少钱？How much is the Forbidden City ticket? | — |
| 博物馆 | bówùguǎn | museum | 国家博物馆很有意思。The National Museum is very interesting. | 4 |
| 故宫 | Gùgōng | the Forbidden City | 故宫是明清两代的皇宫。The Forbidden City was the palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. | — |
| 长城 | Chángchéng | the Great Wall | 不到长城非好汉。He who hasn't climbed the Great Wall is not a hero. | — |
| 天坛 | Tiāntán | Temple of Heaven | 天坛是祭天的地方。The Temple of Heaven is a place for worshipping heaven. | — |
| 公园 | gōngyuán | park | 早上很多人在公园锻炼。Many people exercise in the park in the morning. | 1 |
| 广场 | guǎngchǎng | plaza / square | 天安门广场是北京的中心。Tiananmen Square is the center of Beijing. | — |
| 寺庙 | sìmiào | temple | 少林寺是著名的寺庙。Shaolin Temple is a famous temple. | — |
| 古镇 | gǔzhèn | ancient town | 乌镇是有名的古镇。Wuzhen is a famous ancient town. | — |
| 导游 | dǎoyóu | tour guide | 我们有导游带领。We have a tour guide leading us. | — |
| 地图 | dìtú | map | 你有地图吗？Do you have a map? | 2 |
| 纪念品 | jìniàn pǐn | souvenir | 我买了一些纪念品。I bought some souvenirs. | — |
Useful Phrases (实用句子 shíyòng jùzi)
| Phrase | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请问...怎么走？ | Qǐngwèn... zěnme zǒu? | Excuse me, how do I get to...? |
| 去...在哪里坐车？ | Qù... zài nǎlǐ zuò chē? | Where do I take the bus to get to...? |
| 离这里有多远？ | Lí zhèlǐ yǒu duō yuǎn? | How far is it from here? |
| 我迷路了。 | Wǒ mí lù le. | I'm lost. |
| 可以帮我看地图吗？ | Kěyǐ bāng wǒ kàn dìtú ma? | Can you help me read the map? |
| 有没有中文地图？ | Yǒu méiyǒu Zhōngwén dìtú? | Is there a map in Chinese? |
| 票还有吗？ | Piào hái yǒu ma? | Are there tickets available? |
| 几点开门/关门？ | Jǐ diǎn kāimén/guānmén? | What time does it open/close? |
| 拍照可以吗？ | Pāizhào kěyǐ ma? | Is it okay to take photos? |
| 帮我拍张照好吗？ | Bāng wǒ pāi zhāng zhào hǎo ma? | Can you take a photo for me? |