巴士

• Pinyin: bā shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 巴 = pictograph, possibly depicting clinging; 士 = pictograph of a scholar. Both characters are used purely for their sound values in this loanword.

Meaning

Bus. A loanword from English used primarily in southern China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

A transliteration of the English word 'bus.' More commonly used in Cantonese-speaking regions (Hong Kong, Guangdong, Macau). In mainland China, 公共汽车 or 公交车 are the standard terms, but 巴士 is widely understood and appears in brand names and tourism contexts.

Examples

1. 我们坐巴士去机场大概要四十分钟。 It takes about forty minutes for us to get to the airport by bus.
2. 这条路上有好几路巴士经过，交通很方便。 Several bus routes pass through this road, so the transport is very convenient.
3. 他每天早上坐巴士去上班。 He takes the bus to work every morning.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 机场巴士多长时间一班？(How often does the airport bus run?)
• 我在巴士站等了半个小时。(I waited at the bus stop for half an hour.)

Don't Say

• 在正式文件中写'巴士' (In formal mainland documents, use 公共汽车 or 公交车 instead of 巴士, which is more colloquial and regional)

Origin & History

A phonetic borrowing from English 'bus,' entering Chinese through Cantonese. Widely adopted in Hong Kong and gradually spread to mainland usage.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal