Riding the Metro in China: Phrases for Tickets and Lines
A Chinese metro is the cheapest way across town and often the fastest, but it does not hold your hand. Ticket machines quote fares by distance, platforms are signed by the last station rather than your stop, and every entrance has a bag scanner before the gate.
None of that needs much Chinese, but a few sentences smooth the ride. The phrases below cover the ticket, the line, the transfer and the moment you realise the last train left without you.
Useful phrases
- 地铁站在哪里？Where is the metro station?
Look for the blue sign with a white M or a 地铁 arrow. In Shanghai a lot of entrances sit inside shopping centers and malls, so scan the storefronts.
- 我要买票。I want to buy a ticket.
Ticket machines have an English screen. Fares are based on distance, so you select your destination station rather than a zone.
- 哪里可以办交通卡？Where can I get a transit card?
The service window (服务中心) sells the card and takes a deposit. Alipay and WeChat also run a 乘车码 you scan at the gate, which saves carrying a card.
- 我要去人民广场。I'm going to People's Square.
Station names appear in Chinese and pinyin on the platform signs. Learn the sound of your stop so you catch the announcement and do not miss it.
- 要换乘吗？Do I need to transfer?
Ask at the machine or to a staff member. Some transfers are a long walk through a tunnel, and a few require you to exit the gate and re-enter.
- 几号线？Which line number?
Lines are numbered, not named, and each has its own color. 二号线 is Line 2, the same number you see in the map legend.
- 往哪个方向？Which direction?
Platforms are signed by the terminus station, so learn the last stop on your line before you go down. Standing on the wrong side costs you a round trip.
- 下一站是哪里？What's the next station?
Useful on a packed train where you cannot see the screen. Announcements come in Mandarin and English on most city lines, but the pause is short.
- 出站口在哪儿？Where is the exit?
Big stations have lettered exits. Note which one you want before you go underground; walking out the wrong exit can add several blocks.
- 要过安检吗？Do I need to go through security?
Every station has a scanner for bags, and the same routine repeats at high-speed rail. Keep liquids within reach so you are not unpacking at the gate.
- 这趟车到火车站吗？Does this train go to the railway station?
A city can have several railway stations and different lines reach different ones. Check the station name rather than the word 火车站 alone.
- 人好多。It's really crowded.
True at 8 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. Let people off before you push in, and stand on the right of the escalator so others can pass.
- 末班车几点？What time is the last train?
Most city lines stop between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. Miss the last train and a taxi across town can cost more than your fares for the day.
Quick cultural tip
Security gates and the phone-transit code
Every metro entrance has bag scanners and a staffed gate, and the same routine repeats at train stations. It slows entry at peak hours, so budget an extra ten minutes in the morning instead of racing the closing doors.
The transit QR code inside Alipay or WeChat is the simplest way in for a visitor. Set it up before you travel and keep a paper ticket or card as a backup for the phone-died moments that always seem to land on the deepest line of the day.