乘客 (chéngkè) · passenger

乘客 (chéngkè) means “passenger”. It is written with 2 characters: 乘 (to ride (a vehicle)) + 客 (guest). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

How 乘客 is built

The characters

乘 chéng · to ride (a vehicle)

What 乘 is made of

禾hé — cereal
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 木mù — tree
  - 十 — ten
  - 八bā — eight
北běi — north
- 匕bǐ — spoon
  - 乚 — hook stroke
  - 丿 — falling stroke

客 kè · guest

What 客 is made of

宀 — roof
- 丶 — dot
- 冖mì — cover
各gè — individual
- 夂zhǐ — to go
  - 丿 — falling stroke
  - 又yòu — and
- 口kǒu — mouth
  - 冂 — frame
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A person 各 welcomed under one's roof 宀; 各 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

车上的乘客不多。Chē shang de chéngkè bù duō.There aren't many passengers on the bus.

请乘客们排队上车。Qǐng chéngkèmen páiduì shàng chē.Passengers, please line up to board.

Questions about 乘客

What does 乘客 mean?

乘客 (chéngkè) means “passenger”.

How do you pronounce 乘客?

乘客 is pronounced chéngkè.

Which HSK level is 乘客?

乘客 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025).

Related words

Learn 乘客 with its group

It is part of HSK 4 · Group 9: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group