Get around China: metro, 高铁, and 12306
Car, metro, train, taxi and getting around.
Editorial: Javier Garcia Floriano · Contact
Founder of Chinese Trainer. These lists come from the app's HSK inventory (hanzi, pinyin, band), not from an official exam PDF.
Getting around China is a 地铁 in the morning and a 高铁 when the city changes. HSK 1 already gives you 车, 站 and 票. What puts you on the right platform is 几号线, 换乘, 检票 and 靠窗 / 过道. 高铁 tickets are bought in 12306 or at the machine; your ID or passport is the ticket. This page keeps metro, bus, taxi (滴滴), 高铁 and 站台, and drops 车床 and 自行车棚 that matching drags in via 车. Chinese Trainer tags each row with HSK; the same words feed SRS. Save 地铁, 站, 票 and 高铁 first, and add 晚点 and 改签 once you can pass 检票 without blocking the flow. A conductor understands 这是我的座位 better than a paragraph on the national network.
Key takeaways
- 地铁: 几号线, 换乘, 出口. QR or card is the ticket.
- 高铁: buy in 12306; passport or 身份证 at 检票.
- G and D are train classes; G is faster and usually costs more.
- 靠窗 and 过道 matter on a four-hour ride; 无座 means standing.
- This list is this site's inventory, not a China Railway map.
How to use these words
Morning is metro. You go in, 扫码, and look for 几号线. 换乘 is the line change: follow colors, not the English name if the platform only shouts Chinese. 下一站 comes over the speaker. If you overshoot, 下一站下 then 换乘回来. 出口 + a letter puts you on the right pavement. In rush hour do not freeze at the 闸机 to translate: the “go through” gesture is already the language.
Afternoon is 高铁. Open 12306 (or an agent who types into it). Pick G or D, 二等座, date and time. The seat prints as 几车几号. In the station, 候车 then 检票. Rest the passport on the reader; if it fails, the window. 站台 and 车厢 are on the board. 晚点 gets announced; 改签 is changing trains, not a last-minute whim with no queue.
滴滴 covers the last stretch when the metro shuts. 车牌 and 颜色 beat the driver's name. Do not memorize 内燃机 in month one: nobody will ask at the 闸机. The dialogue below is ticket window plus platform: say it with the passport in your hand. If 12306 rejects the passport, the station window can often issue the same seat. Leave slack: 安检 and 候车 eat twenty minutes the ticket PDF never shows.
How this list was built
The published count is 83 rows for this situation after exclusions, not the raw keyword match. We checked this inventory against the HSK bands on chinesetest.cn. HSK is the level tagged on each row. Chinese Trainer is the app whose SRS uses the same rows. Chinese transport vocabulary is the situation this page teaches.
Word list
83 words in this topic (cleaned list) · HSK 1–4
地铁 and transfers
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 车站 | chēzhàn | rail station |
| 2 | 地铁 | dìtiě | underground railway |
| 2 | 地铁站 | dìtiězhàn | subway station |
| 3 | 所长 | suǒzhǎng | director |
| 3 | 电视台 | diànshìtái | television station |
| 4 | 季度 | jìdù | quarter of a year |
| 4 | 季节 | jìjié | time |
| 6 | 驻 | zhù | stable |
| 6 | 平方米 | píngfāngmǐ | square meter |
| 7 | 不堪 | bùkān | cannot bear |
| 7 | 立方米 | lìfāngmǐ | cubic meter |
11 words · Practice them in the app
高铁 and 12306
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 票 | piào | bank note |
| 1 | 机票 | jīpiào | plane ticket |
| 1 | 火车 | huǒchē | train |
| 1 | 车票 | chēpiào | ticket |
| 1 | 门票 | ménpiào | ticket |
| 4 | 列车 | lièchē | train |
| 4 | 电动车 | diàndòngchē | electric vehicle |
| 4 | 高铁 | gāotiě | high speed rail |
| 5 | 彩票 | cǎipiào | lottery ticket |
| 6 | 券 | quàn | bond |
| 6 | 慢车 | mànchē | local bus or train |
| 6 | 机动车 | jīdòngchē | motor vehicle |
| 6 | 站台 | zhàntái | platform |
| 6 | 退票 | tuìpiào | to bounce |
| 7 | 钞 | chāo | bank note |
| 7 | 月票 | yuèpiào | monthly ticket |
16 words · Practice them in the app
Taxi and 滴滴
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi |
1 words · Practice them in the app
Bus, car, bike
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 开车 | kāichē | to drive |
| 2 | 停车 | tíngchē | to pull up |
| 2 | 停车场 | tíngchēchǎng | parking lot |
| 2 | 公交车 | gōngjiāochē | public transport vehicle |
| 2 | 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | bus |
| 2 | 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle |
| 2 | 骑车 | qí chē | to ride a bike |
| 4 | 倒车 | dǎochē | to reverse |
| 4 | 大巴 | dàbā | large bus |
| 4 | 导致 | dǎozhì | to lead to |
| 5 | 乘车 | chéng chē | to ride |
| 5 | 罚款 | fákuǎn | penalty |
| 5 | 驾照 | jiàzhào | driver's license |
| 6 | 修车 | xiū chē | to repair a bike |
| 6 | 客车 | kèchē | coach |
| 7 | 御 | yù | chariot |
| 7 | 胎 | tāi | embryo |
| 7 | 二手车 | èrshǒuchē | second-hand car |
| 7 | 停车位 | tíngchēwèi | parking space |
| 7 | 客运 | kèyùn | passenger transportation |
| 7 | 引发 | yǐnfā | to lead to |
| 7 | 私家车 | sījiāchē | private car |
| 7 | 警车 | jǐngchē | police car |
| 7 | 跑车 | pǎochē | racing bicycle |
| 7 | 车祸 | chēhuò | traffic accident |
| 7 | 追尾 | zhuīwěi | to tailgate |
| 7 | 通往 | tōngwǎng | to lead to |
| 7 | 驾车 | jià chē | to drive a vehicle |
| 7 | 驾驭 | jiàyù | to urge on |
29 words · Practice them in the app
Other words in this topic
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 飞机 | fēijī | airplane |
| 2 | 船 | chuán | ship |
| 2 | 运 | yùn | to run |
| 2 | 加油 | jiāyóu | to add oil |
| 3 | 高速公路 | gāosù gōnglù | expressway |
| 4 | 汽油 | qìyóu | gasoline |
| 6 | 港口 | gǎngkǒu | port |
| 6 | 端午节 | Duānwǔ Jié | Dragon Boat Festival |
| 6 | 船只 | chuánzhī | ship |
| 7 | 刨 | páo / bào | carpenter's plane |
| 7 | 舟 | zhōu | boat |
| 7 | 舱 | cāng | cabin |
| 7 | 舶 | bó | large ship |
| 7 | 修路 | xiūlù | to repair a road |
| 7 | 客机 | kèjī | passenger plane |
| 7 | 小路 | xiǎolù | minor road |
| 7 | 山路 | shānlù | mountain road |
| 7 | 机舱 | jīcāng | cabin of a plane |
| 7 | 水涨船高 | shuǐzhǎng-chuángāo | the tide rises |
| 7 | 渔船 | yúchuán | fishing boat |
| 7 | 游船 | yóuchuán | pleasure boat |
| 7 | 登机 | dēngjī | to board a plane |
| 7 | 路况 | lùkuàng | road condition |
| 7 | 路段 | lùduàn | stretch of road |
| 7 | 路面 | lùmiàn | road surface |
| 7 | 龙舟 | lóngzhōu | dragon boat |
26 words · Practice them in the app
Example sentences
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 地铁几号线？ | Dìtiě jǐ hào xiàn? | Which metro line? |
| 在下一站换乘。 | Zài xià yí zhàn huànchéng. | Change at the next station. |
| 请问，检票口在哪儿？ | Qǐngwèn, jiǎnpiào kǒu zài nǎr? | Where is ticket check? |
| 我要一张去北京的高铁票。 | Wǒ yào yì zhāng qù Běijīng de gāotiě piào. | One 高铁 ticket to Beijing. |
| 二等座，靠窗。 | Èrděng zuò, kào chuāng. | Second class, window. |
| 这是几车几号？ | Zhè shì jǐ chē jǐ hào? | Which car and which seat? |
| 火车晚点了。 | Huǒchē wǎndiǎn le. | The train is delayed. |
| 可以改签吗？ | Kěyǐ gǎiqiān ma? | Can I change the ticket? |
| 我用滴滴。车牌是京A… | Wǒ yòng Dīdī. Chēpái shì Jīng A… | I'm taking Didi. The plate is Jing A… |
| 这是我的座位。 | Zhè shì wǒ de zuòwèi. | This is my seat. |
Dialogue: 高铁 window and 检票
Station. Passport in hand. The metro already dropped you at 南站.
| Speaker | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| You | 请问，去上海的高铁还有票吗？ | Qǐngwèn, qù Shànghǎi de gāotiě hái yǒu piào ma? | Any 高铁 tickets left to Shanghai? |
| Window | 有。二等座。下午三点。 | Yǒu. Èrděng zuò. Xiàwǔ sān diǎn. | Yes. Second class. 3 p.m. |
| You | 靠窗，行吗？ | Kào chuāng, xíng ma? | Window, OK? |
| Window | 有过道。靠窗没有了。 | Yǒu guòdào. Kào chuāng méi yǒu le. | Aisle left. Window is gone. |
| You | 过道也行。检票口在哪儿？ | Guòdào yě xíng. Jiǎnpiào kǒu zài nǎr? | Aisle is fine. Where's ticket check? |
| Window | 六号站台。先安检。 | Liù hào zhàntái. Xiān ānjiǎn. | Platform 6. Security first. |
| Conductor | 护照。这是几车？ | Hùzhào. Zhè shì jǐ chē? | Passport. Which car? |
| You | 八车十二号。这是我的座位吗？ | Bā chē shí'èr hào. Zhè shì wǒ de zuòwèi ma? | Car 8, seat 12. Is this mine? |
| Conductor | 对。火车不晚点。 | Duì. Huǒchē bù wǎndiǎn. | Yes. The train is on time. |
| You | 谢谢。下一站是上海吗？ | Xièxie. Xià yí zhàn shì Shànghǎi ma? | Thanks. Is the next stop Shanghai? |
| Conductor | 不是。还有三站。 | Bú shì. Hái yǒu sān zhàn. | No. Three stops left. |
Measure words for this topic
张 for tickets. 趟 for trips (一趟车). 路 for bus routes (342路). 号线 for metro lines. 辆 for cars and taxis. 站 counts stops (还有三站).
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 火车 for a G-train | 高铁 / G字列车 | 火车 is generic. At the window, 高铁 or the G/D number avoids the slow train. |
| Blocking the 闸机 to find the ticket in photos | QR ready / passport in hand | The queue will not wait for your camera roll. The pass is the gesture. |
| 无座 thinking it is a cheap seat | Stand, or buy 二等座 | 无座 means you stand. On a peak 高铁 it hurts. |
| 改签 as if it were a free app toggle | Queue / app change with rules | 改签 has deadlines and sometimes a fare gap. |
| 出口 without a letter | A口 / B口 | The wrong exit drops you on the other side of the city. |
FAQ
Metro or 高铁 to another city?
Metro is urban. 高铁 (or 动车) is intercity. 12306 sells the second; the metro app sells the first.
What is 12306?
China's official train-ticket site and app. You buy there, 改签, and see 晚点. The passport has to be linked.
How do I pass 检票 with a passport?
In many stations the reader takes a passport. If it beeps, go to the window with the code or slip. Do not freeze in the 闸机.
Is HSK 2 enough for the metro?
Yes, if you know 几号线, 换乘 and 出口. 高铁 wants a bit more: 检票, 晚点, 二等座.
How do I practice transport words?
Save 地铁, 高铁 and 检票 in Chinese Trainer SRS and say the dialogue with the passport in front of you. One out-loud run beats reading the map in silence.
Practice in the app
The same transport rows feed Chinese Trainer SRS. Start HSK 1–2 free, save 地铁 and 高铁, and run today's deck before the next 检票.