Chinese word

地铁

Pronunciation

Pinyindì tiě

Meaning

  • nounsubway

Example

我和妈妈坐地铁去动物园。wǒ hé mā mā zuò dì tiě qù dòng wù yuán

My mom and I take the subway to the zoo.

Illustration for 地铁 (subway)

More examples

现在很多城市都有地铁。xiàn zài hěn duō chéng shì dōu yǒu dì tiě

Many cities now have subways.

Core concept

An electric city railway that links many stops and carries passengers through dedicated tunnels or tracks.

Common phrases

  • 买地铁票mǎi dì tiě piào

    buy a subway ticket

  • 换乘地铁huàn chéng dì tiě

    transfer to the subway

  • 坐地铁去学校zuò dì tiě qù xué xiào

    take the subway to school

Similar words

火车huǒ chē: A rail vehicle for carrying passengers between cities or over long distances.
公共汽车gōng gòng qì chē: A large bus that carries many passengers along a regular city route.
出租车chū zū chē: A hired car that carries passengers to a destination for a fare.
飞机fēi jī: A powered aircraft that carries passengers quickly across long distances.

Definition in Chinese

在城市地下隧道中运行、通过固定车站输送乘客的电气化轨道公共交通系统。zài chéng shì dì xià suì dào zhōng yùn xíng tōng guò gù dìng chē zhàn shū sòng chéng kè de diàn qì huà guǐ dào gōng gòng jiāo tōng xì tǒng

Word origin

地铁 (dìtiě, "subway") is a shortened form built from 地 (dì, "ground") + 下 (xià, "below") and 铁 (tiě, "iron") + 道 (dào, "road") for an underground railway.

Usage tips

  • The name points to the city rail system, not to a promise that every part of its route is underground; some sections can run above ground.

Related words

Word lists with this word