How to say “My key card doesn't work” in Chinese
“My key card doesn't work” in Chinese is 房卡不能用了。, written in pinyin as Fángkǎ bù néng yòng le.
房卡不能用了。
Fángkǎ bù néng yòng le.
My key card doesn't work.
Word by word
What each part of 房卡不能用了。 actually means.
- 房卡fángkǎroom key card
- 不能用bù néng yòngdoesn't work
- 了lechange of state
When you use it
- Use it at the front desk when the door reader refuses your card — a dead card is routine, and this sentence gets it fixed without any embarrassment.
- It also covers the checkout-day case: the card expired at noon and you still need to step back inside for your bags.
Use 房卡不能用了。 in hotel situations. Check in, check out and fix things in your room.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
房卡消磁了。
Fángkǎ xiāocí le
The key card got demagnetized.
门打不开了。
Mén dǎ bu kāi le
The door won't open.
我进不去房间。
Wǒ jìn bu qù fángjiān
I can't get into my room.
What usually trips people up
- Keeping the card in your phone case or against a magnet — this is the top cause of dead cards, and staff guess it the moment they hear the sentence.
- Describing the problem but leaving the card in the room — bring the card itself to the front desk; they recharge or re-encode it in seconds.
- Panicking after noon — cards stop at checkout time by design, and the desk reactivates yours if a late checkout was agreed.
What you might hear back
- 我给您重新做一张。Wǒ gěi nín chóngxīn zuò yì zhāngI'll make you a new one.
- 您的房号是多少？Nín de fánghào shì duōshao?What is your room number?
- 是不是跟手机放一起了？Shì bu shì gēn shǒujī fàng yìqǐ le?Was it next to your phone?
Common questions
- How do you say "My key card doesn't work" in Chinese?
- "My key card doesn't work" in Chinese is 房卡不能用了。 — written in pinyin as Fángkǎ bù néng yòng le. It is a hotel phrase you would use in China.
- What does 房卡不能用了。 mean in Chinese?
- 房卡不能用了。 (Fángkǎ bù néng yòng le) means "My key card doesn't work". Broken down word by word: 房卡 (fángkǎ) means "room key card"; 不能用 (bù néng yòng) means "doesn't work"; 了 (le) means "change of state".
- When would you use "My key card doesn't work" in Chinese?
- Use it at the front desk when the door reader refuses your card — a dead card is routine, and this sentence gets it fixed without any embarrassment. It also covers the checkout-day case: the card expired at noon and you still need to step back inside for your bags.
More Hotel phrases
Learn all 21 Hotel phrases
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