牌照 páizhào license
(business) license; vehicle license; car registration; license plate
How to remember 牌照: 牌 card + 照 shine = license.
Characters
How it is used
- An official license - most often a vehicle license plate - 汽车牌照 (qìchē páizhào) car number plate; also a business/operating license.
- Concrete document/plate, versus 执照 (zhízhào) which leans to business permits and 许可证 (a permit).
- In big cities 车牌照 is famously hard to get via lottery or auction.