Learn Taiwan Mandarin, from English.
The language you'll actually use in Taiwan is Taiwan Mandarin — the Mandarin Chinese spoken in Taiwan, written in Traditional characters. Its grammar is refreshingly simple (no verb conjugation, no gender, no articles), and with pinyin plus audio, beginners make fast progress in the right order. This course walks you from sounds through grammar to real phrases for Taiwan — night markets, the MRT, and everything in between.
Start here
Your recommended route through the course.
- START Taiwan Mandarin for English speakers — where to begin Begin with the big picture — what 'Taiwanese' means and how to approach it.
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STEP 1 Sounds Hanyu Pinyin, Zhuyin awareness, the four tones, and how syllables are built.
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STEP 2 Grammar Core sentence patterns — copula, pronouns, negation, aspect, questions, and measure words.
- Taiwan Mandarin grammar basics — word order, 是/有/在, no conjugationRead this article
- Pronouns and politeness in Taiwan Mandarin — 我/你/您 and 先生/小姐Read this article
- Negation and aspect in Taiwan Mandarin — 不, 沒, 別 and 了/過/在Read this article
- Questions in Taiwan Mandarin — 嗎, 呢, A-not-A, and wh-wordsRead this article
- Measure words in Taiwan Mandarin — 個, 杯, 碗, 份 and friendsRead this article
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STEP 3 Words & conversation The everyday vocabulary, greetings, and numbers you'll use constantly.
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STEP 4 Real-world Taiwan Mandarin Airports, hotels, night markets, and getting around Taiwan.
Browse by topic
Getting started
The big picture — what Taiwan Mandarin is and how to approach it.
Sounds
Pinyin, Zhuyin, the four tones, and syllable structure.
- Pinyin and Zhuyin (ㄅㄆㄇ) — how Taiwan Mandarin sounds are written Hanyu Pinyin for Taiwan Mandarin: initials and finals that trip up English speakers (zh/ch/sh/r, j/q/x, ü, e), tone marks, and what Zhuyin (Bopomofo) is.
- Taiwan Mandarin tones and pronunciation — four tones, neutral tone, and sandhi The four tones plus neutral tone of Taiwan Mandarin, the tone-change rules that matter (3rd tone, 不, 一), and how Taiwan-standard pronunciation differs from the Mainland.
Grammar
Sentence patterns, pronouns, negation, aspect, questions, and measure words.
- Taiwan Mandarin grammar basics — word order, 是/有/在, no conjugation Core sentence patterns of Taiwan Mandarin for English speakers: SVO order, the three workhorse verbs 是/有/在, why there's no conjugation, and how time is expressed.
- Pronouns and politeness in Taiwan Mandarin — 我/你/您 and 先生/小姐 Personal pronouns in Taiwan Mandarin for English speakers: 我/你/他/您, plural 們, the polite forms 請/麻煩, and how to address people with 先生 and 小姐.
- Negation and aspect in Taiwan Mandarin — 不, 沒, 別 and 了/過/在 How to say 'not' and 'don't' in Taiwan Mandarin (不 vs 沒 vs 別), and how the aspect markers 了, 過, 在 replace English tenses.
- Questions in Taiwan Mandarin — 嗎, 呢, A-not-A, and wh-words Every question pattern a beginner needs in Taiwan Mandarin: yes/no with 嗎, the 呢 bounce-back, A-not-A, wh-question words, and the softening final particles.
- Measure words in Taiwan Mandarin — 個, 杯, 碗, 份 and friends Mandarin classifiers (measure words) for English speakers: why 個 is your default, and the everyday measure words for drinks, meals, tickets, and animals.
Words & conversation
Core vocabulary, greetings, numbers, and everyday phrases.
- Core Taiwan Mandarin vocabulary — 100+ essential words by category 100+ essential Taiwan Mandarin words for English speakers, grouped by category: people, time, food, places, verbs, adjectives, and question words — Traditional characters, pinyin, and audio.
- Essential Taiwan Mandarin conversation — greetings, thanks, and getting un-stuck 80+ essential Taiwan Mandarin phrases for English speakers: greetings, self-introduction, thanks and apologies, asking people to repeat or slow down, and asking for directions.
- Numbers, prices, and time in Taiwan Mandarin — 元/塊, 幾點, 星期 Numbers 0–999 in Taiwan Mandarin, prices with 元 and 塊, telling time with 幾點, days of the week with 星期 and 禮拜, and dates with 月 and 號.
Real-world Taiwan
Travel, night markets, and transport in Taiwan.
- Taiwan travel Mandarin — airport, hotel, directions, and emergencies Travel phrases for Taiwan in Mandarin for English speakers: airport and immigration, hotel check-in, asking directions, tickets and sightseeing, and emergency phrases.
- Night market and food Mandarin — ordering, sugar/ice levels, must-try dishes Taiwan night market and restaurant phrases for English speakers: ordering, dine-in vs takeout, drink sugar and ice levels, and the classic dishes — 滷肉飯, 牛肉麵, 小籠包, 珍珠奶茶.
- Taiwan transport Mandarin — MRT, buses, taxis, HSR, and EasyCard Getting around Taiwan in Mandarin for English speakers: 捷運 MRT, 公車 buses, 計程車 taxis, 高鐵 high-speed rail, 火車 TRA, and the 悠遊卡 EasyCard.