打车

• Pinyin: dǎ chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 打 (hit, do, hail) + 车 (vehicle) — to hail a vehicle, take a taxi

Meaning

To take a taxi; to hail a cab. The common way to say 'get a taxi' in spoken Chinese.

A colloquial verb-object compound used mainly in northern China and standard Mandarin. In southern regions, people may say 搭车 or 叫车 instead. With the rise of ride-hailing apps, 打车 now also includes booking a car through an app. Interchangeable with 打的 in some regions.

Examples

1. 我们打车去吧。 Let's take a taxi.
2. 现在打车很方便。 Taking a taxi is very convenient now.
3. 你打车来的吗？ Did you take a taxi here?

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 太晚了，打车回去吧。(It's too late; let's take a taxi back.)
• 打车要多少钱？(How much will a taxi cost?)

Don't Say

• 打车公共汽车 for taking a bus (打车 is only for taxis — use 坐公共汽车 for taking a bus)

Origin & History

Compound of 打 (to make, to do) and 车 (vehicle). The 打 here is used in its extended sense of 'to hail' or 'to flag down', similar to 打电话 (make a phone call).

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal