車道 / 车道
chēdào
The English word 'driveway' is 車道 / 车道 (chēdào) in Chinese. Wiktionary also lists 專用支路 / 专用支路 (zhuānyòngzhīlù).
Meaning: short private road that leads to a house or garage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 車道 / 车道 | chēdào |
| 專用支路 / 专用支路 | zhuānyòngzhīlù |
In a residential context, 車道 / 车道 is the most natural way to refer to a driveway leading to a house or garage.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 車道 / 车道 is composed of 车 (chē), meaning 'vehicle' or 'car' and 道 (dào), meaning 'road' or 'path'.
How do you pronounce it?
chēdào
Did you know?
- The character for 'vehicle' 车 can be written as 車, which is a stylized drawing of a chariot with two wheels and an axle. This ancient design persists even when referring to a modern concrete 'driveway'.
- In Chinese, the character 道 (dào) in 车道 is the same character used in 'Taoism' (道教), linking the concept of a physical road to a philosophical 'path' or 'way'.
- Chinese lacks a single, dedicated word for the American-style 'driveway' because the architectural concept of a private paved strip is less common in dense Chinese cities. People often use 车道 to describe any lane meant for cars.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “driveway” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
