车 (chē) means "vehicle, car" with 4 strokes, radical 车 (cart), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: vehicle
Other meanings:
- car
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
车 is a straightforward pictograph of a chariot viewed from above. Oracle bone forms show two wheels connected by an axle, with a central box for the driver and sometimes a yoke and shaft extending forward. Some early graphs are elaborate, showing reins and horses, but the canonical form already reduces the chariot to its essential running gear.
Form evolution
Bronze script simplified the double-wheel view to a single wheel with axle and box, rotated ninety degrees so the character reads vertically. Seal script regularised this into the seven-stroke traditional form 車, which clerical script squared off. The simplified form 车 was created by reducing the traditional character to four strokes in the 1950s, using a cursive shorthand that had existed in calligraphy for centuries.
How the meaning evolved
The original meaning was specifically a chariot or horse-drawn cart, central to Bronze Age warfare and ritual. It extended to any wheeled vehicle, then to machinery with turning parts (车床, lathe), and in modern Mandarin covers cars, trains, and bicycles. The verb sense to turn on a lathe or to transport by vehicle is a later derivation.
Cultural note
The character has two readings: chē for the common meaning of vehicle, and jū for the chariot piece in Chinese chess (象棋), preserving the ancient pronunciation. The idiom 闭门造车 (build a cart behind closed doors) criticises working without reference to reality; it originally praised a craftsman whose carts fit standard ruts without checking, but the meaning inverted over time.
Mnemonic
A wheeled vehicle seen from above — car
Basic info
| Pinyin | chē |
| Meanings | vehicle, car |
| Stroke count | 4 strokes |
| Radical | 车 (#159: cart) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #47 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 车
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòngqìchē | bus | |
| 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi | HSK 1 |
| 火车站 | huǒchēzhàn | train station | |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | Bicycle | HSK 3 |
| 堵车 | dǔchē | Traffic jam | HSK 4 |
| 车库 | chēkù | Garage | HSK 5 |
| 列车 | lièchē | train | HSK 5 |
| 摩托车 | mótuōchē | Motorcycle | HSK 6 |
| 车厢 | chēxiāng | carriage | HSK 5 |
| 救护车 | jiùhùchē | Ambulance | HSK 5 |
| 卡车 | kǎchē | Truck | HSK 7-9 |
| 餐车 | cānchē | dining car | |
| 车 | chē | vehicle, car | HSK 1 |
| 车间 | chējiān | workshop | HSK 7-9 |
| 车辆 | chēliàng | vehicle | HSK 5 |
| 车票 | chēpiào | ticket (for bus or train) | |
| 车站 | chēzhàn | station, depot | HSK 2 |
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.