How to Say “A metro card please” in Chinese
Getting around · HSK 3
"A metro card please" in Chinese is 请给我一张地铁卡。 (Qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhāng dì tiě kǎ.). The measure word for cards is 张 (zhāng); same one you'd use for paper or tickets. Honestly, locals barely buy physical metro cards anymore; in Beijing and Shanghai everyone scans the Alipay or WeChat 乘车码 (chéng chē mǎ, 'ride QR code').
Primary translation
请给我一张地铁卡。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhāng dì tiě kǎ.
Traditional: 請給我一張地鐵卡。
Variants by register
Formal
麻烦给我办一张地铁卡。
Má fan gěi wǒ bàn yì zhāng dì tiě kǎ.
Casual
来张地铁卡。
Lái zhāng dì tiě kǎ.
When to use it
The measure word for cards is 张 (zhāng); same one you'd use for paper or tickets. Honestly, locals barely buy physical metro cards anymore; in Beijing and Shanghai everyone scans the Alipay or WeChat 乘车码 (chéng chē mǎ, 'ride QR code'). If you're a tourist and want the plastic card, ask for 交通卡 (jiāo tōng kǎ) in Shanghai or 一卡通 (yì kǎ tōng) in Beijing; the name changes by city. Taiwan uses 悠游卡 (yōu yóu kǎ).
Example sentences
请问在哪儿办地铁卡？
Qǐng wèn zài nǎr bàn dì tiě kǎ?
Excuse me, where do I get a metro card?
我的卡没钱了，要充值。
Wǒ de kǎ méi qián le, yào chōng zhí.
My card is out of money, I need to top it up.
用微信扫码进站更方便。
Yòng Wēi xìn sǎo mǎ jìn zhàn gèng fāng biàn.
It's easier to scan in with WeChat.