卡车

• Pinyin: kǎ chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 卡 = phonetic borrowing, also means to be stuck or a card; 车 = pictograph of a cart — vehicle

Meaning

Truck; lorry.

A motor vehicle designed for transporting goods, larger than a van. The standard term in Mandarin for what British English calls a lorry. Encompasses various sizes from light trucks to heavy-duty freight trucks. Common in everyday speech, logistics, and traffic contexts. Collocates with 司机 (driver), 货运 (freight), 大型 (large), 装满 (fully loaded).

Examples

1. 一辆满载货物的卡车从我们身边呼啸而过，扬起一阵灰尘。 A truck fully loaded with goods roared past us, kicking up a cloud of dust.
2. 他开了二十年卡车，跑遍了全国各地的高速公路。 He's been driving trucks for twenty years, covering highways all across the country.
3. 城区在高峰时段禁止大型卡车通行，以缓解交通拥堵。 Large trucks are prohibited from passing through urban areas during peak hours to ease traffic congestion.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, logistics, traffic, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 前面有一辆卡车，开慢点。(There's a truck ahead, slow down.)
• 他是卡车司机，常年在外跑长途。(He's a truck driver — always on the road doing long hauls.)

Don't Say

• 我坐卡车上班。(People don't commute in trucks unless they're drivers — for commuting in a vehicle, specify 开车, 坐公交, 打车 etc.)

Origin & History

卡 (phonetic transliteration from English 'car') + 车 (vehicle). A semi-transliteration combining the English sound with the Chinese word for vehicle.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal