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汽油 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
汽油qìyóugasolineHSK 5, n, rank #4233, Medium
qìyóu(qi4you2) T4
  1. 1gasoline
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March 24, 2026
汽油qìyóu(qi4you2)

汽油 (qìyóu) refers to gasoline, a common fuel used in internal combustion engines, particularly in cars. It is essential for transportation and plays a significant role in the automotive industry, making it a term frequently encountered in discussions about vehicles and energy sources.

Frequency#4233DifficultyMedium
Cultural Note

In China, the price of 汽油 is often a hot topic, especially with fluctuations in global oil prices affecting local economies and daily life. Discussions about gasoline can also touch on environmental concerns related to fuel consumption.

Memory Tip

Imagine a car making a loud 'Qì!' sound as it zooms off after being filled with gasoline. The '汽' (qì) resembles a car's exhaust puffing out gas, while '油' (yóu) can remind you of 'oil', linking it to fuel.

Meanings of 汽油

qìyóu(qi4you2)
1gasoline
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

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About 汽油

汽油Simplified
—Strokes
—Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#4233Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L5IntermediateTOCFLL4HSKKL2CEFRB1

Podcast: 汽油

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Podcast: 汽油

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AI Study Notes for 汽油

Quick Contrast

柴油 (cháiyóu) is used for diesel fuel, while 汽油 (qìyóu) specifically refers to gasoline; use 汽油 when discussing fuel for gasoline engines.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a car making a loud 'Qì!' sound as it zooms off after being filled with gasoline. The '汽' (qì) resembles a car's exhaust puffing out gas, while '油' (yóu) can remind you of 'oil', linking it to fuel.

Usage Notes

Learners often confuse 汽油 with other fuel types like 柴油 (chái yóu, diesel). It's essential to use the correct term based on the context of the vehicle being discussed. This term is informal and commonly used in daily conversations.

HSK Study Tips

As an HSK 5 word, 汽油 connects with other vocabulary related to transportation and energy. Focus on understanding its usage in context, particularly in discussions about cars, travel, and environmental issues.

Cultural Note

In China, the price of 汽油 is often a hot topic, especially with fluctuations in global oil prices affecting local economies and daily life. Discussions about gasoline can also touch on environmental concerns related to fuel consumption.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes mistakenly use 汽油 when referring to fuel in general, instead of specifying gasoline. For example, saying '我需要汽油' (I need fuel) when they mean 'I need fuel for my diesel car' would be incorrect; they should specify 柴油 instead.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 汽油

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Component Characters

汽qìsteam
7 strokes氵
View full entry
油yóuoil
HSK 48 strokes氵
View full entry

Write 汽油

汽
油

Practice writing 汽油 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar Patterns of 汽油

汽油 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

1981年，新型的日产汽车平均每升____能跑13千米。

New Japanese cars averaged 13 km to the litre in

Example Sentences for 汽油 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
1981年，新型的日产汽车平均每升汽油能跑13千米。

1981 1981， nián ， xīn xíng de rì chǎn qì chē píng jūn měi shēng qì yóu13 néng pǎo。

New Japanese cars averaged 13 km to the litre in
2
你的发动机很适合烧76号辛烷汽油。

nǐ de fā dòng jī hěn shì hé shāo76 76 hào xīn wán qì。

Your engine can run happily on 76 octane petrol.
3
汽油的价格每加仑降了4便士。

qì yóu de jià gé měi jiā lún jiàng le4 4 biàn。

The price of petrol is coming down by four pence a gallon.
4
这项税收会使每升汽油价格提高约3.5便士。

zhè xiàng shuì shōu huì shǐ měi shēng qì yóu jià gé tí gāo yuē3.5 3.5 biàn。

This tax would raise petrol prices by about 5p per litre.
5
如果食物和汽油供应减少，会出现什么情况呢？

rú guǒ shí wù hé qì yóu gōng yīng jiǎn shǎo， ， huì chū xiàn shí mó qíng kuàng？

What happens when food and gasoline supplies run low?
6
我刚开始驾驶游艇航行时，艇上的汽油发动机老出毛病。

wǒ gāng kāi shǐ jià shǐ yóu tǐng háng háng shí， ， tǐng shàng de qì yóu fā dòng jī lǎo chū máo。

I first started cruising in yachts with temperamental petrol engines.
7
无铅汽油每加仑涨了1分多。

wú qiān qì yóu měi jiā lún zhǎng le1 1 fēn。

Unleaded gasoline rose more than a penny a gallon.
8
这部汽车一加仑汽油可以行驶五英里.

zhè bù qì chē yī jiā lún qì yóu kě yǐ háng shǐ wǔ yīng lǐ.

This car runs 5 miles on a gallon of gasoline.
9
人群变得狂暴起来，并向警察投掷汽油弹。

rén qún biàn dé kuáng bào qǐ lái， ， bìng xiàng jǐng chá tóu zhì qì yóu。

The crowds became violent and threw petrol bombs at the police.
10
大约每个星期我加满一箱汽油。

dà yuē měi gè xīng qī wǒ jiā mǎn yī xiāng qì yóu。

I fill up the tank with gasoline about once a week.

Cultural Notes for 汽油

🏮Cultural insight

In China, the price of 汽油 is often a hot topic, especially with fluctuations in global oil prices affecting local economies and daily life. Discussions about gasoline can also touch on environmental concerns related to fuel consumption.

Frequently Asked Questions about 汽油

汽油 is gasoline, used in most cars, while 柴油 refers to diesel, used in larger vehicles like trucks and buses.