Numbers 0–10 and beyond
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 零 | líng | 0 |
| 一 | yī | 1 |
| 二 | èr | 2 (counting) |
| 兩 | liǎng | 2 (with measure words) |
| 三 | sān | 3 |
| 四 | sì | 4 |
| 五 | wǔ | 5 |
| 六 | liù | 6 |
| 七 | qī | 7 |
| 八 | bā | 8 |
| 九 | jiǔ | 9 |
| 十 | shí | 10 |
| 百 | bǎi | 100 |
| 千 | qiān | 1,000 |
| Pattern | Example | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 十 + digit | 十五 | shíwǔ | 15 |
| digit + 十 + digit | 三十五 | sānshíwǔ | 35 |
| digit + 百 + 十 + digit | 一百二十三 | yìbǎi èrshísān | 123 |
| digit + 百 + digit + 十 | 五百六十 | wǔbǎi liùshí | 560 |
| digit + 百 + 零 + digit | 一百零五 | yìbǎi líng wǔ | 105 |
| 幾 | 幾個 | jǐ ge | how many? |
Prices — 元 and 塊
Taiwan's currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$). Written prices use 元 (yuán); spoken prices almost always use 塊 (kuài):
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一百塊 | yìbǎi kuài | NT$100 (spoken) |
| 一百元 | yìbǎi yuán | NT$100 (written/formal) |
| 五十塊 | wǔshí kuài | NT$50 |
| 多少錢 | duōshǎo qián | how much (money)? |
| 這個多少錢 | zhège duōshǎo qián | how much is this? |
| 可以便宜一點嗎 | kěyǐ piányí yìdiǎn ma | can it be a bit cheaper? |
| 太貴了 | tài guì le | too expensive |
Telling time
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 幾點 | jǐ diǎn | what time? |
| 現在幾點 | xiànzài jǐ diǎn | what time is it now? |
| 三點 | sān diǎn | 3 o'clock |
| 三點半 | sān diǎn bàn | 3:30 |
| 三點十五分 | sān diǎn shíwǔ fēn | 3:15 |
| 三點四十五分 | sān diǎn sìshíwǔ fēn | 3:45 |
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | AM / late morning |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | PM / afternoon |
| 一分鐘 | yì fēnzhōng | one minute |
| 一小時 | yì xiǎoshí | one hour |
| 等一下 | děng yíxià | wait a moment |
Weekdays and dates
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 星期一 | xīngqíyī | Monday |
| 星期二 | xīngqí'èr | Tuesday |
| 星期三 | xīngqísān | Wednesday |
| 星期四 | xīngqísì | Thursday |
| 星期五 | xīngqíwǔ | Friday |
| 星期六 | xīngqíliù | Saturday |
| 星期日 | xīngqírì | Sunday |
| 禮拜 | lǐbài | week (colloquial: 禮拜一 = Monday) |
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一月 | yīyuè | January |
| 三月五號 | sānyuè wǔ hào | March 5 |
| 幾月幾號 | jǐ yuè jǐ hào | what date? |
| 幾號 | jǐ hào | what day (of the month)? |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 週末 | zhōumò | weekend |
Mini practice
How do you say '2 people'?
兩個人 (liǎng ge rén) — always 兩 before a measure word, never 二個人.
How do you ask the price?
多少錢 (duōshǎo qián) or 這個多少錢 — 'how much is this?'.
How do you say '3:30'?
三點半 (sān diǎn bàn).
星期 vs 禮拜?
Both mean 'week' — 星期一 and 禮拜一 both = Monday. 禮拜 is the more colloquial Taiwan choice.
