People & pronouns
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I / me |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 您 | nín | you (polite) |
| 他 | tā | he |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 我們 | wǒmen | we |
| 你們 | nǐmen | you (plural) |
| 他們 | tāmen | they |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone |
| 朋友 | péngyǒu | friend |
| 先生 | xiānshēng | Mr. / sir |
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | Miss |
| 老闆 | lǎobǎn | boss / shopkeeper |
| 客人 | kèrén | customer / guest |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member |
Time
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 現在 | xiànzài | now |
| 早上 | zǎoshàng | morning |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon |
| 晚上 | wǎnshàng | evening / night |
| 星期 | xīngqí | week / day of the week |
| 週末 | zhōumò | weekend |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 月 | yuè | month |
| 日 / 號 | rì / hào | day (formal / everyday dates) |
| 點 | diǎn | o'clock |
| 分 | fēn | minute |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before / previously |
| 以後 | yǐhòu | after / later |
Food & drink
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 飯 | fàn | rice / meal |
| 麵 | miàn | noodles |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 咖啡 | kāfēi | coffee |
| 牛奶 | niúnǎi | milk |
| 啤酒 | píjiǔ | beer |
| 菜 | cài | dish / vegetables |
| 肉 | ròu | meat |
| 雞肉 | jīròu | chicken |
| 豬肉 | zhūròu | pork |
| 牛肉 | niúròu | beef |
| 魚 | yú | fish |
| 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
| 早餐 | zǎocān | breakfast |
| 午餐 | wǔcān | lunch |
| 晚餐 | wǎncān | dinner |
| 小吃 | xiǎochī | snacks / street food |
Places & getting around
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 車站 | chēzhàn | station |
| 捷運站 | jiéyùnzhàn | MRT station |
| 機場 | jīchǎng | airport |
| 飯店 | fàndiàn | hotel |
| 餐廳 | cāntīng | restaurant |
| 夜市 | yèshì | night market |
| 超商 | chāoshāng | convenience store (Taiwan word) |
| 藥局 | yàojú | pharmacy |
| 醫院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
| 廁所 | cèsuǒ | restroom |
| 洗手間 | xǐshǒujiān | restroom (softer) |
| 學校 | xuéxiào | school |
| 公司 | gōngsī | company / office |
| 家 | jiā | home |
| 這裡 | zhèlǐ | here |
| 那裡 | nàlǐ | there |
| 哪裡 | nǎlǐ | where |
Core verbs
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 是 | shì | to be |
| 有 | yǒu | to have / there is |
| 在 | zài | to be at |
| 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 喝 | hē | to drink |
| 去 | qù | to go |
| 來 | lái | to come |
| 看 | kàn | to look / watch / read |
| 聽 | tīng | to listen |
| 說 | shuō | to speak / say |
| 買 | mǎi | to buy |
| 賣 | mài | to sell |
| 要 | yào | to want |
| 想 | xiǎng | to want to / think |
| 會 | huì | can / will / know how |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | may / can |
| 知道 | zhīdào | to know (a fact) |
| 認識 | rènshì | to know (a person) |
| 喜歡 | xǐhuān | to like |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk |
| 住 | zhù | to live / stay |
| 等 | děng | to wait |
| 給 | gěi | to give |
Adjectives
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 好 | hǎo | good |
| 不好 | bùhǎo | bad / not good |
| 大 | dà | big |
| 小 | xiǎo | small |
| 多 | duō | many / much |
| 少 | shǎo | few / little |
| 新 | xīn | new |
| 舊 | jiù | old (things) |
| 快 | kuài | fast |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 近 | jìn | near |
| 遠 | yuǎn | far |
| 熱 | rè | hot (weather) |
| 冷 | lěng | cold |
| 貴 | guì | expensive |
| 便宜 | piányí | cheap |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty |
| 好喝 | hǎohē | good (drinks) |
| 漂亮 | piàoliàng | pretty |
| 美 | měi | beautiful |
Question words
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 什麼 | shénme | what |
| 哪裡 | nǎlǐ | where |
| 怎麼 | zěnme | how |
| 誰 | shéi | who |
| 幾 | jǐ | how many |
| 多少 | duōshǎo | how much / how many |
| 什麼時候 | shénme shíhòu | when |
| 為什麼 | wèishénme | why |
Mini practice
What does 超商 mean?
Convenience store — the Taiwan word (7-Eleven, FamilyMart…). On the Mainland you'd say 便利店.
Which word means 'to be at (a place)'?
在 (zài) — 我在台北. Identity uses 是 instead.
小吃 vs 餐廳?
小吃 = street snacks/small eats (the night-market food category); 餐廳 = a restaurant.
How do you ask 'how much'?
多少 (duōshǎo) — 多少錢 'how much money/how much does it cost'.
