飞机

• Pinyin: fēi jī
• Hanzi breakdown: 飞 (fly) + 机 (machine) — a flying machine, i.e. airplane

Meaning

Airplane; aircraft. The standard word for a plane.

The most common word for airplane in everyday Chinese. Used in phrases like 坐飞机 (take a plane), 飞机场/机场 (airport), 飞机票 (plane ticket). In casual speech, 机场 is more common than 飞机场 for airport.

Examples

1. 我坐飞机去北京。 I'm taking a plane to Beijing.
2. 那架飞机很大。 That airplane is very big.
3. 飞机八点起飞。 The plane takes off at eight o'clock.

Usage Guide

Context: travel, transportation

Tone: conversational

Do Say

• 我们坐飞机去上海。(We're taking a plane to Shanghai.)
• 飞机快要到了。(The plane is about to arrive.)

Don't Say

• 我开飞机去上海。(Unless you're actually a pilot — use 坐飞机 for being a passenger)

Origin & History

Compound of 飞 (fly) and 机 (machine) — literally 'flying machine.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal