Keyi yong jiaotong ka ma (可以用交通卡吗): Transport card?

可以用交通卡吗？

kěyǐ yòng jiāotōng kǎ ma?

Can I pay with a transport card?

Character breakdown

可

can, may

kě

以

by means of, with (grammatical particle)

yǐ

用

to use

yòng

交

to cross, to intersect (in 交通)

jiāo

通

to pass through, to connect (in 交通)

tōng

卡

card

kǎ

吗

question particle

Grammar and structure

This is a polite question using 可以 (kěyǐ, 'may/can'), the verb 用 (yòng, 'to use'), the noun 交通卡 (jiāotōng kǎ, 'transport card'), and the question particle 吗 (ma).

Variations and politeness

可以刷交通卡吗？

kěyǐ shuā jiāotōng kǎ ma?

Can I swipe a transport card? — More casual and colloquial; uses 刷 (shuā) which means 'to swipe'.

我能用交通卡吗？

wǒ néng yòng jiāotōng kǎ ma?

Can I use a transport card? — Slightly more personal because it explicitly includes 我 (wǒ, 'I').

Mini dialogue

请问，可以用交通卡吗？

qǐngwèn, kěyǐ yòng jiāotōng kǎ ma?

Excuse me, can I use a transport card?

可以的，刷一下就可以了。

kěyǐ de, shuā yīxià jiù kěyǐ le.

Yes, you can. Just swipe it.

When to use it

Appropriate

When you are at a metro station or on a bus and want to pay with a transport card.
When you are unsure if a particular transport card is accepted (e.g., a card from another city).

Avoid when

When you are asking about a discount or fare price, not about the payment method.
When you are in a taxi; taxis usually do not accept transport cards, so it would sound odd.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say "Can I use a transport card?" in Chinese?

You can say "可以用交通卡吗？" (kěyǐ yòng jiāotōng kǎ ma?).

How do you pronounce "可以用交通卡吗？"?

It is pronounced "kěyǐ yòng jiāotōng kǎ ma?" with the tones: kě (3rd tone), yǐ (3rd tone), yòng (4th tone), jiāo (1st tone), tōng (1st tone), kǎ (3rd tone), ma (neutral).