Mandarin for Airports, Taxis, Metros, and Trains in China

First, know the difference

These transport systems solve different travel problems:

• 地铁 — dì tiě — Metro or subway. Use it for travel within a city.
• 公交车 — gōng jiāo chē — Public bus. Use it for local routes within a city.
• 火车 — huǒ chē — Train. Use it for travel between cities or regions.
• 高铁 — gāo tiě — High-speed rail. It is a type of train service, usually faster and commonly used between cities.

A metro station and a railway station are not the same place. 火车站 — huǒ chē zhàn — means railway station. 高铁站 — gāo tiě zhàn — means high-speed rail station. A city may have several railway stations, so always show the exact Chinese station name on your ticket.

At the airport

• 机场 — jī chǎng — Airport.
• 到达 — dào dá — Arrivals.
• 出发 — chū fā — Departures.
• 行李 — xíng li — Luggage.
• 出口 — chū kǒu — Exit.
• 洗手间 — xǐ shǒu jiān — Restroom.
• 请问，出口在哪里？— qǐng wèn, chū kǒu zài nǎ lǐ? — Excuse me, where is the exit?
• 我的行李在哪里？— wǒ de xíng li zài nǎ lǐ? — Where is my luggage?

Taxi and ride-hailing

Keep your destination open on your phone. A Chinese address is more reliable than trying to pronounce a street name.

• 我想去这个地方。— wǒ xiǎng qù zhè ge dì fāng. — I want to go to this place.
• 请在这里停车。— qǐng zài zhè lǐ tíng chē. — Please stop here.
• 大概需要多久？— dà gài xū yào duō jiǔ? — About how long will it take?
• 我听不懂，请发短信。— wǒ tīng bù dǒng, qǐng fā duǎn xìn. — I do not understand. Please send a text message.

Buses and metros

• 地铁站在哪里？— dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ lǐ? — Where is the metro station?
• 公交车站在哪里？— gōng jiāo chē zhàn zài nǎ lǐ? — Where is the bus stop?
• 这是几号线？— zhè shì jǐ hào xiàn? — Which metro line is this?
• 我要去这个站。— wǒ yào qù zhè ge zhàn. — I want to go to this station.
• 在哪一站下车？— zài nǎ yí zhàn xià chē? — At which stop should I get off?
• 左边 / 右边 — zuǒ biān / yòu biān — Left / right.
• 一直走 — yì zhí zǒu — Go straight.

Trains and high-speed rail

• 我有票。— wǒ yǒu piào. — I have a ticket.
• 我想买票。— wǒ xiǎng mǎi piào. — I want to buy a ticket.
• 这是哪个火车站？— zhè shì nǎ ge huǒ chē zhàn? — Which railway station is this?
• 检票口在哪里？— jiǎn piào kǒu zài nǎ lǐ? — Where is the ticket gate?
• 几点出发？— jǐ diǎn chū fā? — What time does it depart?
• 几点到？— jǐ diǎn dào? — What time does it arrive?
• 我的座位在哪里？— wǒ de zuò wèi zài nǎ lǐ? — Where is my seat?

Keep your passport and current ticket screen ready. The station name, train number, date, and departure time on your booking are more precise than a long spoken explanation.