飛機 / 飞机
fēijī
The Chinese word for airplane is 飛機 / 飞机 (fēijī). Wiktionary also lists 飛行機 / 飞行机 (fēixíngjī).
Meaning: powered aircraft (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 飛機 / 飞机 | fēijī |
| 飛行機 / 飞行机 | fēixíngjī |
The term 飛機 / 飞机 is used for both the general concept of an airplane and the specific vehicle itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 飛機 / 飞机 is a compound of 飛 (fēi), meaning 'to fly' and 機 (jī), meaning 'machine'.
Which one should you use?
飛機 / 飞机 is the much more common everyday term used in conversation, while 飛行機 / 飞行机 is a more formal or technical term for 'airplane'.
How do you pronounce it?
fēijī
Did you know?
- The character 機 / 机 refers to a 'machine', but its ancient meaning refers to the 'trigger' of a crossbow.
- The formal term 飛行機 was actually coined in Japan during the Meiji era before being adopted into Chinese. This process is known as 'Wasei kango', where Japanese scholars created new kanji compounds to translate Western concepts.
- The word for 'machine' in 飛機 is the same character used for 'opportunity' or 'chance' in many contexts. While it means 'machine' here, the character 機 can also imply a crucial turning point or a sudden opening.
Examples in context
- 他坐飞机去北京。 (Tā zuò fēi jī qù Běi jīng.)He traveled to Beijing by airplane.
- 飞机儿飞得好高啊！ (Fēi jī ér fēi de hǎo gāo a!)The airplane is flying so high!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “airplane” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 飛行機, CC BY-SA 4.0.
