Taking a Commuter Train Chinese

Taking a train or bus? In this post I will walk you through the phrases and and vocabulary you’ll need to take a commuter train in Chinese.

Train vocabulary

Below is some basic train vocabulary:

火huǒ车chē (huǒ​chē)	train
地dì铁tiě (dì​tiě)	subway
火huǒ车chē站zhàn (huǒ​chē​zhàn)	train station
上shàng车chē (shàng​chē)	Get on to a bus / train
下xià车chē (xià​chē)	Get off a bus / train
月yuè台tái (yuè​tái)	Train platform
下xià一yī站zhàn (xià yī zhàn)	Next stop (of bus or train)
上shàng一yī站zhàn (shàng yī zhàn)	Last (previous) stop (of bus or train)

You are probably familiar with taking a commuter train in most large cities, essentially you can break it down in to four parts:

1. Asking for direction to the train station
2. Buying a train ticket
3. Transport cards and train lines
4. On board the train

Asking directions for trains in Chinese

Before you work out which train station you want to be at you may need to ask for directions. Specific directions you might need to know for the train station are below.

Chinese	Pinyin Pronunciation
请qǐng你nǐ告gào诉sù我wǒ去qù火huǒ车chē站zhàn怎zěn么me走zǒu？? qǐng nǐ gào​sù wǒ qù huǒ​chē​zhàn zěn​me zǒu?	Can you tell me the way to the train station?
直zhí走zǒu然rán后hòu左zuǒ转zhuǎn zhí zǒu rán​hòu zuǒ​zhuǎn	Go straight then turn left
直zhí走zǒu然rán后hòu右yòu转zhuǎn zhí zǒu rán​hòu yòu​zhuǎn	Go straight then turn right
请qǐng向xiàng前qián直zhí走zǒu qǐng xiàng​qián zhí zǒu	Please go straight ahead
过guò马mǎ路lù再zài向xiàng右yòu转zhuǎn guò mǎ​lù zài xiàng yòu​zhuǎn	Cross the road and turn right
过guò马mǎ路lù再zài向xiàng左Zuǒ传Zhuàn guò mǎ​lù zài xiàng Zuǒ​Zhuàn	Cross the road and turn left

Buying a train ticket in Chinese

For commuter trains you will generally use a public transport card 公gōng交jiāo (gōng​jiāo). These cards are known by other names, however 公gōng交jiāo卡kǎ (gōng​jiāo kǎ) is the generic name.

English	Chinese	Notes
Public Transport Card	公gōng交jiāo卡kǎ gōng​jiāo kǎ	Public Transport 公交 (gōngjiāo) Card 卡 (kǎ)
Shanghai Public Transport Card	上Shàng海hǎi公gōng交jiāo卡kǎ Shàng​hǎi gōng​jiāo kǎ	Shanghai 上海 Public Transport Card 公交卡 (gōngjiāokǎ)
Beijing Public Transport Card	一Yī卡kǎ通tōng Yī​kǎ​tōng	One 一 (yī) Card 卡 (kǎ) Pass 通 (tōng)

For an example dialogue, check out my post on buying train tickets and long distance trains.

Entering the train station

To enter a train station you will enter at an automated ticket gate or via a gate where your ticket is manually checked. The name of these gates varies, but common names are:

English	Chinese	Notes
Ticket Gate	剪jiǎn票piào口kǒu jiǎn piào kǒu	scissor ticket gate
Ticket Gate	检jiǎn票piào口kǒu jiǎn piào kǒu	check ticket gate
Ticket Gate	票piào闸zhá门mén piào zhá​mén	ticket sluice gate
Ticket Clerk	检jiǎn票piào员yuán jiǎn piào yuán	check ticket person
Automatic Ticket Gate	把bǎ火huǒ车chē票piào放fàng入rù自zì动dòng检jiǎn票piào口kǒu bǎ huǒ​chē​piào fàng rù zì​dòng jiǎn piào kǒu
Show (your) ticket at the ticket gate	在zài检jiǎn票piào口kǒu出chū示shì火huǒ车chē票piào zài jiǎn piào kǒu chū​shì huǒ​chē​piào
Swipe your card at the ticket gate	刷shuā卡kǎ在zài剪jiǎn票piào口kǒu shuā​kǎ zài jiǎn piào kǒu

Train lines

Train stations of course have multiple platforms, for this reason you would need to look at the train or subway line map and select the correct line, typically named by colour whose direction is typically defined by the direction they are travelling, such as northbound or southbound. These are some useful vocabulary to describe train lines:

English	Chinese
Red Line	红hóng线xiàn hóng​xiàn
Yellow Line	黄huáng线xiàn huáng xiàn
Orange Line	橙chéng线xiàn chéng xiàn
Green Line	绿lǜ线xiàn lǜ xiàn
Black Line	黑hēi线xiàn hēi xiàn
White Line	白bái线xiàn bái​xiàn
Blue Line	蓝lán线xiàn lán xiàn
timetable	时shí刻kè表biǎo shí​kè​biǎo
southbound	南nán向xiàng nán xiàng
northbound	北běi向xiàng běi xiàng
eastbound	东dōng向xiàng dōng xiàng
westbound	西xī向xiàng xī xiàng
timetable	列liè车chē时shí刻kè表biǎo liè​chē shí​kè​biǎo
train / platform sign	列liè车chē指zhǐ示shì牌pái liè​chē zhǐ​shì pái

You may also want to ask about the lines, examples are below:

English	Chinese
How often do the trains run?	火huǒ车chē多duō久jiǔ开kāi一yī班bān？? huǒ​chē duō​jiǔ kāi yī bān?
Which line should I take to the airport?	到dào飞fēi机jī场chǎng要yào搭dā哪nǎ条tiáo线xiàn？? dào fēi​jī​chǎng yào dā nǎ tiáo xiàn?
Let me take a look at the subway map	让ràng我wǒ看kàn一yī下xià地dì铁tiě路lù线xiàn图tú ràng wǒ kàn yī​xià dì​tiě lù​xiàn​tú
Can I get to the airpot from this stop?	我wǒ从cóng这zhè站zhàn下xià车chē能néng走zǒu到dào飞fēi机jī场chǎng吗ma？? wǒ cóng zhè zhàn xià​chē néng zǒu dào fēi​jī​chǎng ma?

On board the train

These are some useful phrases to use in the station or on board the train:

English	Chinese
Don’t obstruct the path of the people alighting from the train	别bié挡dǎng住zhù乘chéng客kè下xià车chē的de路lù bié dǎng​zhù chéng​kè xià​chē de lù
Wait behind the the line	等děng在zài候hòu车chē线xiàn的de后hòu面miàn děng zài hòu chē xiàn de hòu​miàn
Stand behind the yellow line	站zhàn在zài黄huáng线xiàn的de后hòu面miàn zhàn zài huáng xiàn de hòu​miàn
Watch your step	小xiǎo心xīn台tái阶jiē xiǎo​xīn tái​jiē
Watch your hands	小xiǎo心xīn夹jiā手shǒu xiǎo​xīn jiā shǒu
Watch your step.	小xiǎo心xīn台tái阶jiē xiǎo​xīn tái​jiē
Watch your hands.	小xiǎo心xīn夹jiā手shǒu xiǎo​xīn jiā shǒu
Don’t lean on the door	请qǐng勿wù倚yǐ靠kào车chē门mén qǐng wù yǐ​kào chē​mén

Taking a Bus – Chinese Vocabulary

In most cities around the world, including China, you will use the same public transport card 公gōng交jiāo卡kǎ (gōng​jiāo kǎ) that you can use on trains. This is useful as you may find the need to take a bus or connect from a train to a bus service.

English	Chinese
How often do the buses run?	把bǎ车chē多duō久jiǔ开kāi一yī班bān bǎ chē duō​jiǔ kāi yī bān
If you want to come to my house you need to take the bus and then the subway	如rú果guǒ你nǐ要yào来lái我wǒ家jiā就jiù需xū要yào搭dā把bǎ车chē后hòu再zài搭dā地dì铁tiě rú​guǒ nǐ yào lái wǒ jiā jiù xū​yào dā bǎ chē hòu zài dā dì​tiě
Does this bus stop at the airport?	这zhè班bān车chē会huì停tíng飞fēi机jī场chǎng站zhàn吗ma？? zhè bān​chē huì tíng fēi​jī​chǎng zhàn ma?
Where does the bus go?	这zhè班bān车chē往wǎng哪nǎ里lǐ？? zhè bān​chē wǎng nǎ​lǐ?