机场
airport
jīchǎng
What does 机场 mean?
机场 (jīchǎng) is the standard Chinese word for 'airport,' literally 'machine-field' — 机 here is short for 飞机 (fēijī, airplane). Big-city airports usually take a name + 国际机场 ('international airport'), e.g. 北京首都国际机场 (Beijing Capital International Airport). For domestic-only airfields, just 机场 is used. When you need to specify which terminal, use 航站楼 (hángzhànlóu): 二号航站楼 ('Terminal 2'). Common practical phrases: 去机场 ('go to the airport'), 到机场 ('arrive at the airport'), 接机 ('pick someone up at the airport'), 送机 ('see someone off at the airport'). The measure word is usually 个 in conversation; 座 sounds more formal. Note that 机场 specifically means airport, not a general airfield (航空港 hángkōnggǎng) or military base (空军基地).
Character breakdown
machine; here short for 飞机 'airplane'
open ground; field; arena
Memory hook: 机 (machine = plane) + 场 (open field) = the open field where planes live = airport.
Measure word for 机场
Example sentences
我下午两点到机场。
Wǒ xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn dào jīchǎng.
I'll arrive at the airport at 2pm.
neutral
从家到机场坐出租车要一个小时。
Cóng jiā dào jīchǎng zuò chūzūchē yào yí ge xiǎoshí.
It takes an hour by taxi from home to the airport.
spoken
请问，机场在哪儿？
Qǐng wèn, jīchǎng zài nǎr?
Excuse me, where is the airport?
polite
我去机场接朋友。
Wǒ qù jīchǎng jiē péngyou.
I'm going to the airport to pick up a friend.
neutral
北京有两个国际机场。
Běijīng yǒu liǎng ge guójì jīchǎng.
Beijing has two international airports.
neutral
Common phrases with 机场
Synonyms
航空港 ('aviation port') is a formal/written synonym, often used in news and policy contexts. 机场 is the everyday word.
空港 (literally 'air port') is occasionally used in branding and news ('Beijing 空港' for the airport area). In speech, almost everyone says 机场.
Don't confuse 机场 with
机会 ('opportunity / chance') shares the 机 character but means something completely different. 没有机会 = no opportunity; 没有机场 = no airport.
广场 ('square / plaza,' as in 天安门广场) shares the 场 character but is a public square, not an airport. Same 'open ground' element.
火车站 is a train station, 机场 is an airport. Both are transit hubs but very different transportation modes — and usually different parts of the city.