新A 12345
新 plates: Xinjiang, and what the letters mean
Facts checked
A plate beginning 新 was registered in Xinjiang, a autonomous region. The character is Xīn, said roughly “shin”. 新 means 'new'. 新疆 Xīnjiāng is 'the new frontier', the name given to the territory after the Qing reconquest of the 1750s; it was made a province in 1884.
The letter after it is the office that issued the plate. 新A belongs to Ürümqi, and 17 further letters are recorded below.
The colour of the plate is a separate fact from the characters: it says what kind of vehicle carries it, and the characters say nothing about it. The colour guide sets out what each of the 7 colours licenses.
Key facts
| Plate character | 新 “shin” |
|---|---|
| Place | Xinjiang |
| Kind | autonomous region |
| Capital | Ürümqi |
| City letters | 18 |
| Why this character | 新 means 'new'. 新疆 Xīnjiāng is 'the new frontier', the name given to the territory after the Qing reconquest of the 1750s; it was made a province in 1884. |
The city letters
- 新A Ürümqi
- 新B Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture and Wujiaqu
- 新C Shihezi
- 新D Kuytun and Huyanghe
- 新E Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture and Shuanghe
- 新F Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (excluding Tacheng and Altay prefectures and Kuytun) and Kokdala
- 新G Tacheng Prefecture and Baiyang
- 新H Altay Prefecture and Beitun
- 新J Karamay
- 新K Turpan
- 新L Hami and Xinxing
- 新M Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture and Tiemenguan
- 新N Aksu Prefecture and Aral
- 新O Xinjiang public security
- 新P Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture
- 新Q Kashgar Prefecture (excluding Kargilik/Yecheng County), Tumxuk and Caohu
- 新R Hotan Prefecture and Kargilik (Yecheng) County
- 新S Kunyu
| Prefix | Letter | City | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 新A | A | Ürümqi | |
| 新B | B | Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture and Wujiaqu | |
| 新C | C | Shihezi | |
| 新D | D | Kuytun and Huyanghe | |
| 新E | E | Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture and Shuanghe | |
| 新F | F | Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (excluding Tacheng and Altay prefectures and Kuytun) and Kokdala | Formerly the plate of Ili Prefecture. |
| 新G | G | Tacheng Prefecture and Baiyang | |
| 新H | H | Altay Prefecture and Beitun | |
| 新J | J | Karamay | |
| 新K | K | Turpan | |
| 新L | L | Hami and Xinxing | |
| 新M | M | Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture and Tiemenguan | |
| 新N | N | Aksu Prefecture and Aral | |
| 新O | O | Xinjiang public security | Police series. |
| 新P | P | Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture | |
| 新Q | Q | Kashgar Prefecture (excluding Kargilik/Yecheng County), Tumxuk and Caohu | |
| 新R | R | Hotan Prefecture and Kargilik (Yecheng) County | |
| 新S | S | Kunyu |
Xinjiang plates: questions people ask
- What does 新 mean on a Chinese licence plate?
- 新 (Xīn, "shin") is the abbreviation for Xinjiang. 新 means 'new'. 新疆 Xīnjiāng is 'the new frontier', the name given to the territory after the Qing reconquest of the 1750s; it was made a province in 1884.
- Which city is 新A?
- Ürümqi. The letter A goes to the seat of government in almost every province, and the remaining letters were assigned to the other issuing offices.
- How many plate letters does Xinjiang use?
- 18 are recorded here, A to S. A retired or reassigned letter keeps its note in the table.
Related
Sources for Xinjiang
- Wikipedia (Chinese), 中华人民共和国民用机动车号牌 (Civil motor-vehicle registration plates of the People's Republic of China). Read . Carries the complete province-by-province table of issuing-office letters, with the retired and renumbered series footnoted to Chinese news and public-security sources. Used as a finding aid; wording here is our own.
- Wikipedia, Vehicle registration plates of China. Read . English list of prefixes; the article flags its own list as incomplete, so it is used here to cross-check the Chinese table rather than as the primary record.