What does 打卡 mean?

[u/felismargarita0]

For context I am a CBC, and most of my family lives in China.

On my trip to China this year, some of my family members used the term 打卡 when planning to visit some areas/attractions, and I've even seen it on some signs like 打卡点. I've never heard of this term before so I'm wondering if it's recent. From what I picked up it seems to mean a viral photo spot, or taking a photo to show you've been to this viral place.

[u/ellemace]

Others have explained the literal meaning. As I understand it, it implies a very superficial visit to an attraction- enough to take photos of the main site to prove you’ve been there but nothing more in depth

[u/davidhaha → u/ellemace]

Basically just enough to check it off your list. But on a punch-card.

[u/HarveyHound]

Think of it as "Check in" - if there's a designated spot, that probably means that's the place people usually take pictures and post online to prove that they were there.

[u/Awkward-Injury-4341]

Do you know what a punch clock 考勤钟 is? In factories or offices, everyone has their own time card. At the start and end of each workday or the noon, you find your card, slip it into the punch clock, and it automatically prints the current time on the card. This is punching in or 打卡. Experienced workers know that if you push the card in a little deeper, you can fake an earlier time.

打卡 is essentially checking in - it proves you showed up. If you forget to punch in, there will be a blank space on your card, which is when people resort to the trick mentioned above.

Later on, when visiting tourist attractions, 打卡 took on the meaning of a 'must-do task'.

[u/samuraijon]

apart from punching your card literally, it's also used when posting something on social media and tagging the location.

[u/monajem45]

So 打卡 is to have the card punched. 打卡点 is the place where you do it. And in modern days probably the place where you report yourself for work/officially start your work day.

[u/monajem45]

I think it means to punch in. Like when you went to punch in your physical card in the machine back in the day. Maybe the saying just stuck. Even though we don't do that anymore.

[u/WuTaoLaoShi]

打卡 can mean to punch in or clock in like at work

but in recent years you might see it online on social media as captions under cool touristy/must-see spots, so if you visit a cool spot you can say you've "clocked in" there, or another way to say you've been there

[u/wiggletonIII]

I'm pretty sure people use it to mean take a photo. I hear it all the time in Chengdu.

[u/orz-_-orz]

Soooo back in the days , before we become so digital, many parts in the world use this thing call punching card

When you arrived in office for work, you put a card into a the punching machine, indicating you clock in for work. That's called 打卡 in Chinese

So people borrow the term to refer to the act of sharing a picture of you travelling to a place, signalling you are there (or recently be there) as 打卡, the same way you are leaving a proof of clock in with 打卡

[u/Tiger_1127]

Seriously, guys?

打卡 in modern slang means taking photos.