驾照 (jià zhào) — driver's license | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

驾照 is specifically a driver's license. The broader term 执照 means any official permit or license.

noun

driver's license

Measure word · 本

Examples

驾照。
Wǒ dǎ suàn míng nián qù kǎo jià zhào.
I plan to take the driver's license test next year.
驾照。
Kāi chē shí yí dìng yào dài jià zhào.
You must bring your driver's license when driving.
驾照，。
Tā de jià zhào kuài guò qī le, dé qù huàn.
His driver's license is about to expire; he needs to renew it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

驾jiàdriving

照zhàolicense

驾 means driving and 照 means license, so 驾照 is the license for driving.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 駕; 驾 is its simplified writing.

加馬駕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

馬馬mǎ

Sound part声符shēngfú

加

加jiā駕jià

Same sound today

In the traditional form 駕, 馬 relates to a horse, and 加 gives the sound; this story is about 駕, not the simplified 驾.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

灬昭照

Meaning part形符xíngfú

灬Written in full as火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

昭

昭zhāo照zhào

Same sound today

照 uses 灬, a bottom form of 火 (fire), plus 昭 for the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Roads & Traffic 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.