交通
traffic; transportation
jiāotōng
What does 交通 mean?
交通 (jiāotōng) is a noun covering both 'traffic' (the flow of vehicles on roads) and 'transportation' (the system of getting around — roads, transit, links). Literally 'cross-through,' it names the movement and infrastructure that connect places. English splits these into two words; Chinese uses 交通 for both, so context decides: 交通很堵 means 'traffic is jammed,' while 交通方便 means 'transportation is convenient.'
Note it does not mean an individual vehicle — a car is 车 (chē), and 'means of transport' is 交通工具 (jiāotōng gōngjù). It also forms fixed compounds worth knowing: 交通事故 ('traffic accident'), 交通规则 ('traffic rules'), 公共交通 ('public transportation'). Unlike English 'transportation,' 交通 is not used as a verb — you don't 交通 goods; that's 运输 (yùnshū).
Character breakdown
to cross; to intersect
to go through; to connect
Memory hook: Roads that 'cross and connect' (交 cross + 通 connect) are what carry traffic and transport.
Example sentences
这里交通很方便，有地铁也有公交车。
Zhèlǐ jiāotōng hěn fāngbiàn, yǒu dìtiě yě yǒu gōngjiāochē.
Transportation here is convenient — there's a subway and buses.
spoken
早上的交通特别堵。
Zǎoshang de jiāotōng tèbié dǔ.
The traffic in the morning is really jammed.
spoken
开车要遵守交通规则。
Kāichē yào zūnshǒu jiāotōng guīzé.
When driving you must follow the traffic rules.
neutral
昨天这条路上发生了交通事故。
Zuótiān zhè tiáo lù shàng fāshēng le jiāotōng shìgù.
A traffic accident happened on this road yesterday.
written
Common phrases with 交通
Synonyms
运输 is 'transport / shipping' as an action — moving goods or people from A to B (货物运输 'freight transport'). 交通 is the traffic and system as a whole, and is not used as a verb.
Don't confuse 交通 with
FAQ
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