How to Say "To Drive" in Chinese

开车

kāichē

The Chinese phrase for "to drive" is 开车 (kāichē).

开车 is used to express the act of operating and controlling a motor vehicle.

What does it mean word for word?

The verb 开 literally means "to open" or "to operate".

开车 is used in everyday conversation to express 'to drive.'

kāichē

In modern internet slang, 开车 is used as a metaphor for sharing adult content or 'NSFW' links, implying the speaker is 'starting the car' to take others on a risky journey.
While 开车 means to drive, the word for 'car' 车 (chē) originally referred to ancient horse-drawn chariots, a meaning that has persisted for millennia.
While 开车 refers to driving, the word for 'driver' is 司机 (sījī). The first character 司 means 'to manage' or 'to take charge of', treating the act of driving as a management role.

你会开车吗？
Do you know how to drive?
This sentence is useful for asking about someone's driving ability using 开车.
Tatoeba #10966796 by xjjAstrus, translation #1159654 by CK
我喜欢开车。
I like to drive.
This sentence is useful for expressing a personal preference for 开车.
Tatoeba #13893627 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #6044280 by Hybrid
鲍勃也会开车。
Bob is also able to drive.
This sentence is useful for stating that someone else possesses the ability to 开车.
Tatoeba #4815154 by McMeao, translation #4811505 by Deagger
我会驾驶汽车。(Wǒ huì jiàshǐ qìchē.)
I can drive a car.
他正在开车去公司。(Tā zhèngzài kāichē qù gōngsī.)
He is driving to the company.
他开着小轿车在城市里兜风。(Tā kāi zhe xiǎo jiàochē zài chéngshì lǐ dōufēng.)
He is driving around the city in a small car.
18 more sentences on Tatoeba

A man and a woman are talking in a parking lot.

佳怡 Jiayi

你会开车吗？
Nǐ huì kāichē ma?
Can you drive?
伟 Wei

我会开车，但是我不常开。
Wǒ huì kāichē, dànshì wǒ bù cháng kāi.
I can drive, but I don't drive often.
佳怡 Jiayi

今天你开车过来吗？
Jīntiān nǐ kāichē guòlái ma?
Did you drive here today?
伟 Wei

没有，我是坐地铁来的。
Méiyǒu, wǒ shì zuò dìtiě lái de.
No, I came by subway.

Sources

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