Playing music or videos out loud
Informal Can sound rude
What it really means
Playing music, videos or games from your phone speaker on a bus or train is widely seen as rude, and on many services it's actually against the conditions of travel. Always use headphones — and check they aren't leaking sound at full volume either.
Chinese explanation
在公交或火车上外放音乐、视频或游戏声音，被普遍认为很没礼貌，很多线路的乘车条款也明确禁止。一定要戴耳机——还要注意音量太大时耳机漏音同样扰人。
Example conversation
A: That kid was playing music out loud for the whole journey.
B: So annoying. Honestly, headphones cost a fiver — there's no excuse.
A：那个孩子一路都在外放音乐。
B：太烦人了。说真的，耳机才五镑一副——没什么借口。
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.
Related phrases
Go deeper
All Customs & Etiquette
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake