How to Say “I need a ride” in Chinese
Getting around · HSK 3
"I need a ride" in Chinese is 我需要打车 (Wǒ xū yào dǎ chē). 打车 (dǎ chē) literally means 'hit car' and is the universal verb for 'take a taxi/rideshare' in Mainland China; it covers both hailing a cab on the street and booking through 滴滴 (Dīdī), the dominant ride-hailing app. In Taiwan you'll hear 叫計程車 (jiào jì chéng chē) or the Uber-era 叫車.
Primary translation
我需要打车
Wǒ xū yào dǎ chē
Traditional: 我需要打車
Variants by register
Formal
我需要叫辆车
Wǒ xū yào jiào liàng chē
Casual
我得打个车
Wǒ děi dǎ gè chē
When to use it
打车 (dǎ chē) literally means 'hit car' and is the universal verb for 'take a taxi/rideshare' in Mainland China; it covers both hailing a cab on the street and booking through 滴滴 (Dīdī), the dominant ride-hailing app. In Taiwan you'll hear 叫計程車 (jiào jì chéng chē) or the Uber-era 叫車. Young Mainlanders often say 打个车 with 个 as a softener; it sounds casual and natural, like 'grab a cab.' If you're at a hotel, staff might ask 您要叫车吗？(Would you like us to call a car?); more formal.
Example sentences
太晚了，我需要打车回家。
Tài wǎn le, wǒ xū yào dǎ chē huí jiā.
It's too late; I need a ride home.
下雨了，我们打个车吧。
Xià yǔ le, wǒ men dǎ gè chē ba.
It's raining; let's grab a ride.
你能帮我叫辆车去机场吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ jiào liàng chē qù jī chǎng ma?
Can you help me get a ride to the airport?