开车

• Pinyin: kāi chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 开 (operate) + 车 (vehicle) — to drive a car

Meaning

To drive a car. The standard expression for operating a motor vehicle.

A verb-object compound of 开 (operate) and 车 (vehicle). Used for driving any motor vehicle. The object 车 can be separated in certain structures (开了一天的车 = drove for a whole day).

Examples

1. 你会开车吗？ Can you drive?
2. 爸爸每天开车去上班。 Dad drives to work every day.
3. 我不喜欢开车。 I don't like driving.

Usage Guide

Context: transport, everyday

Tone: conversational

Do Say

• 你会开车吗？(Can you drive?)
• 我开车送你。(I'll drive you there.)

Don't Say

• 我开车了自行车。(Bicycles are ridden 骑, not driven 开车 — say 我骑了自行车)

Origin & History

Compound of 开 (to operate, start) and 车 (vehicle) — to operate a vehicle.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal