飛機 / 飞机
fēijī
In Mandarin, the English word airplane is expressed as 飛機 / 飞机 (fēijī). If unsure, use 飛機 / 飞机. Wiktionary also lists 飛行機 / 飞行机 (fēixíngjī).
Meaning: powered aircraft (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 飛機 / 飞机 | fēijī |
| 飛行機 / 飞行机 | fēixíngjī |
The term is used to refer to a powered aircraft.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 飛機 (fēijī) is composed of 飛 (fēi), meaning 'to fly' and 機 (jī), meaning 'machine'.
Which one should you use?
While 飛機 (fēijī) is the standard term for an airplane, 飛行機 / 飞行机 (fēixíngjī) is a more formal or technical term meaning 'flying machine'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, 飛機 is commonly used in daily conversation. In Mainland China, the term 客机 specifically refers to passenger aircraft.
How do you pronounce it?
fēijī
Did you know?
- The formal term 飛行機 is actually a Japanese-made coinage, known as 'Wasei kango', which was later adopted into the Chinese language.
- In Mandarin, you do not 'drive' an airplane with the word for 'drive' (used for cars), but use 「開」 (kāi), which also means 'to open'.
- The character 機 (jī) is used in almost every word for a complex device, such as 「手機」 (shǒujī) for 'mobile phone' and 「洗衣機」 (xǐyījī) for 'washing machine'.
Examples in context
- 我坐飞机去上海。I'm taking an airplane to Shanghai.
- 我喜欢看飞机起飞。I enjoy watching airplanes take off.
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.
