Chinese word

电车

Pronunciation

Pinyindiàn chē

Meaning

  • nountram

Example

我每天坐电车上班。wǒ měi tiān zuò diàn chē shàng bān

I take the tram to work every day.

Illustration for 电车 (tram)

More examples

电车一旦发生故障就会临时停运。diàn chē yí dàn fā shēng gù zhàng jiù huì lín shí tíng yùn

If the tram breaks down, service will be temporarily suspended.

Core concept

A public city vehicle that follows fixed street rails and carries passengers by electric power.

Common phrases

  • 坐电车回家zuò diàn chē huí jiā

    take the tram home

  • 电车司机diàn chē sī jī

    tram driver

  • 电车线路diàn chē xiàn lù

    tram line

Similar words

地铁dì tiě: A city train that runs on its own underground or elevated tracks and stops at many stations.
电动车diàn dòng chē: A small two- or four-wheeled personal vehicle driven by an electric motor for short trips.
公交车gōng jiāo chē: A bus that follows scheduled city routes for short-distance travel.

Definition in Chinese

在城市道路上沿铺设轨道运行，以电力驱动，供公众短途出行的有轨车辆。zài chéng shì dào lù shàng yán pū shè guǐ dào yùn xíng yǐ diàn lì qū dòng gōng gōng zhòng duǎn tú chū xíng de yóu guǐ chē liàng

Word origin

电 (diàn, "electric") + 车 (chē, "vehicle") forms a transparent compound for an electrically powered vehicle.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear electric and think of batteries or road cars, but the rail setting is the key clue to this word's everyday meaning.

Other meanings

  • municipal streetcarnoun

Related words

  • 电车票diàn chē piàotram ticketnoun
  • 电车线路diàn chē xiàn lùtram linenoun

Word lists with this word