貨車 / 货车
huòchē
In Chinese, 'van' can be expressed as 貨車 / 货车 (huòchē), 麵包車 / 面包车 or 廂型車 / 厢型车.
Meaning: a covered vehicle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 貨車 / 货车 | huòchē | |
| 麵包車 / 面包车 | miànbāochē | |
| 廂型車 / 厢型车 | xiāngxíngchē | Taiwan |
麵包車 / 面包车 is used colloquially to describe smaller vans, often those used for passengers or small deliveries.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 麵包車 / 面包车 literally translates to 'bread car'. The term 廂型車 / 厢型车 literally means 'box-shaped car' or 'compartment-type car'.
Which one should you use?
While 貨車 / 货车 can mean a van, it is a broader term that more commonly refers to trucks or cargo vehicles in general. In contrast, 麵包車 / 面包车 specifically refers to a van, often implying a passenger-carrying or small delivery van, whereas 貨車 / 货车 is more generic for any vehicle carrying goods. 廂型車 / 厢型车 refers to box-style cars and indicates vans that are box-shaped.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the term 廂型車 / 厢型车 is used.
How do you pronounce it?
huòchē
Did you know?
- While 'bread car' sounds whimsical, calling a van a 麵包車 / 面包车 in some regions can carry a slight social stigma, implying it is an old, cheap, or unreliable vehicle used for unregulated transport.
- Chinese uses the character 車 / 车 for everything from a bicycle to a massive semi-truck, whereas English differentiates 'car' from 'van' or 'truck'.
- In the phrase 麵包車 / 面包车, the word 麵包 / 面包 (bread) functions as a descriptive metaphor for the vehicle's rounded, soft-looking shape, rather than its actual function.
Examples in context
- 如果你需要运送一些货物，请租一辆货车。If you need to transport some goods, please rent a van.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “van” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
