https://bo-pomo.com/blog Practical guides to speaking Mandarin, with audio in a Taiwanese voice. en https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-mandarin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-mandarin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The US FSI plans 2,200 class hours for professional Mandarin. What that means, how long conversational Chinese takes, and Taiwan's TOCFL hour estimates. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-learn-mandarin-fast https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-learn-mandarin-fast Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Learn Mandarin Chinese faster by speaking from day one. Honest hours, a 12-week plan, and the first lines to say out loud, like 我聽不懂 and 一點點. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-order-at-a-taiwan-night-market https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-order-at-a-taiwan-night-market Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT What to say at a Taiwan night market stall, from 雞排 and 鹽酥雞 to 臭豆腐 and bubble tea: pointing, asking the price, spice levels, to go or to eat here, with Lin's voice. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-say-hello-in-mandarin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-say-hello-in-mandarin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT 你好 always works, but Taiwan also says 哈囉, 嗨 and 早安. The everyday ways to say hello in Mandarin Chinese, and what to say back, with audio. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-say-i-love-you-in-mandarin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-say-i-love-you-in-mandarin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT 我愛你 (wǒ ài nǐ) is "I love you" in Mandarin, but it's saved for big moments. The softer ways Taiwan says it: 我喜歡你, 我想你, care, and 520. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-say-thank-you-in-mandarin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/how-to-say-thank-you-in-mandarin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT 謝謝, 不客氣, 不會 and 多謝: what each one means, when to use it, and how people answer in Taiwan and on the mainland, with audio in a Taiwanese voice. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/mandarin-tones-explained https://bo-pomo.com/blog/mandarin-tones-explained Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The four Mandarin tones and the neutral tone in plain language, the tone changes that trip everyone up, practical ways to hear and say them, and what an app can and can't check. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/numbers-in-mandarin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/numbers-in-mandarin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Chinese numbers the Taiwan way: count from 一 to 萬, pick 兩 or 二, use measure words like 個 and 杯, and say prices with 元, 塊 and 多少錢. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/survival-mandarin-for-taiwan https://bo-pomo.com/blog/survival-mandarin-for-taiwan Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT 30 Mandarin phrases for a first trip to Taiwan: greetings, getting help, the guesthouse, food, the MRT and money, with zhuyin, pinyin and Lin's voice. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/taiwan-mandarin-vs-mainland-mandarin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/taiwan-mandarin-vs-mainland-mandarin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT How Mandarin in Taiwan and mainland China really differ, in accent, everyday words, characters and habits of speech, and why speakers from both understand each other without trouble. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/taiwanese-hokkien-vs-mandarin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/taiwanese-hokkien-vs-mandarin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mandarin (國語, 華語) is the language everyone in Taiwan shares; Taiwanese Hokkien (台語) is the other one you'll hear. How to tell them apart, and where. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/traditional-vs-simplified-chinese https://bo-pomo.com/blog/traditional-vs-simplified-chinese Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Traditional or simplified Chinese? Where each is used (Taiwan, Hong Kong, the mainland, Singapore), what each costs a learner, and how to read both. https://bo-pomo.com/blog/zhuyin-vs-pinyin https://bo-pomo.com/blog/zhuyin-vs-pinyin Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Zhuyin (bopomofo) or pinyin, the two ways to write Mandarin sounds? What each is good at, where each trips learners up, and which one to start with.