自行车 (zìxíngchē) · bicycle
自行车 (zìxíngchē) means “bicycle; bike”. It is written with 3 characters: 自 (from) + 行 (OK) + 车 (vehicle). It is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 自行车 is built
The characters
自 zì · from
What 自 is made of
- 目mù — eye
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
Origin hint: A nose; in China, people refer to themselves by pointing to their noses (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
行 xíng · OK
What 行 is made of
- 彳chì — to step with the left foot
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 亍chù — to take small steps
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丁dīng — male adult
Origin hint: To take small steps 亍 with one's feet 彳 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
车 chē · vehicle
What 车 is made of
- 七qī — seven
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 乚 — hook stroke
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
Origin hint: Simplified form of 車, a cart with two wheels, seen from above (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
Questions about 自行车
What does 自行车 mean?
自行车 (zìxíngchē) means “bicycle; bike”.
How do you pronounce 自行车?
自行车 is pronounced zìxíngchē.
Which HSK level is 自行车?
自行车 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Related words
- 大自然dàzìránnature (the natural world)
- 来自láizìto come from
- 自己zìjǐoneself
- 自由zìyóufreedom
- 各自gèzìeach
- 亲自qīnzìpersonally
- 自从zìcóngsince
- 自动zìdòngautomatic
- 自觉zìjuéself-disciplined
- 自然zìránnature
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 50: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.