Same language, different habits
Taiwanese Mandarin and mainland Mandarin are the same language. The grammar is almost identical, and people from Taipei and Beijing understand each other without effort, the way British and American English speakers do. What differs is the accent, a set of everyday words, and the characters.
In Taiwan the standard language is usually called 國語 (guóyǔ, “the national language”) or 華語 (huáyǔ). In mainland China it's 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà, “the common speech”).
Not the same as Taiwanese
“Taiwanese” on its own usually means 台語 (Tâi-gí), Taiwanese Hokkien: a separate language that came from southern Fujian, which a Mandarin speaker can't follow without learning it. Many people in Taiwan speak both, and you'll hear Hokkien words and songs at markets and temples. More in what language is spoken in Taiwan.
The accent
- Softer zh, ch, sh. In relaxed speech the curled sounds zh, ch and sh often come out close to z, c and s, so 是 (shì) can sound like sì.
- Hardly any 兒 (er) endings. Beijing says 哪兒 (nǎr) for “where”; Taiwan says 哪裡 (nǎlǐ).
- Fuller second syllables. Many words keep a full tone where Beijing makes the second syllable light: 認識 (to know someone) is rènshì in Taiwan, rènshi in Beijing.
- A few different readings. Taiwan's dictionary gives some characters a different tone or sound: 垃圾 (garbage) is lèsè in Taiwan and lājī on the mainland, 星期 (week) is xīngqí rather than xīngqī, and 微 (slight) is wéi rather than wēi.
Lin speaks with a Taiwanese accent. Listen to a few everyday words:
Different everyday words
Most words are shared, but some of the ones you'll need on your first day aren't. Mainland words are shown in simplified characters, as they're written there.
| English | Taiwan | Mainland |
|---|---|---|
| Metro, subway | 捷運 jiéyùn | 地铁 dìtiě |
| Scooter, motorbike | 機車 jīchē | 摩托车 mótuōchē |
| Bicycle | 腳踏車 jiǎotàchē | 自行车 zìxíngchē |
| Taxi | 計程車 jìchéngchē | 出租车 chūzūchē |
| Potato | 馬鈴薯 mǎlíngshǔ | 土豆 tǔdòu |
| Pineapple | 鳳梨 fènglí | 菠萝 bōluó |
| Video | 影片 yǐngpiàn | 视频 shìpín |
| Software | 軟體 ruǎntǐ | 软件 ruǎnjiàn |
One to watch: 土豆 means potato on the mainland but peanut in Taiwan.
Traditional characters
Taiwan writes with traditional characters (正體字 or 繁體字). Mainland China switched to simplified characters in the 1950s, so the same word can look quite different:
| Meaning | Traditional (Taiwan) | Simplified (mainland) |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | 臺灣, 台灣 | 台湾 |
| Thank you | 謝謝 | 谢谢 |
| To learn | 學 | 学 |
| To speak | 說 | 说 |
| Car, vehicle | 車 | 车 |
Traditional characters have more strokes, but they're often easier to tell apart, and reading them opens Taiwan's signs and menus, Hong Kong's too. Taiwan also teaches sounds with zhuyin rather than pinyin.
How Taiwan sounds in conversation
- Sentences often end in soft particles: 喔 (o), 啦 (la), 耶 (ye). 好喔 is a friendly “okay”.
- 有 (yǒu) before a verb asks or says that something happened: 你有吃飯嗎？ (“Have you eaten?”).
- 對啊 (duì a, “right, yeah”) and 真的嗎？ (zhēn de ma?, “really?”) keep a conversation going.
Which should you learn?
If you're going to Taiwan, have Taiwanese friends or family, or watch Taiwanese shows, learn Taiwan Mandarin from the start: the accent and words you hear will match the ones you learned. Everything carries over the other way too, so you'll still be understood anywhere Mandarin is spoken.
Bopomo teaches Taiwan Mandarin with traditional characters and zhuyin, and Lin speaks with a Taiwanese accent. Join the waitlist.
Questions
Is Taiwanese the same as Mandarin?
No. Taiwanese usually means Taiwanese Hokkien (台語), a separate language. Taiwanese Mandarin is Mandarin as it's spoken in Taiwan.
Can people from Taiwan and mainland China understand each other?
Yes, easily. They notice each other's accent and some different words, much like British and American English speakers do.
Can I learn Mandarin from a mainland course and use it in Taiwan?
Yes. You'll be understood everywhere. Expect to pick up traditional characters, a few different words and the Taiwanese accent once you're there.
Does Taiwan use pinyin?
Hanyu Pinyin is used for many street and station signs, but schools teach sounds with zhuyin, and that's what most people in Taiwan type with.
Is Taiwanese Mandarin easier to learn?
About the same. The sounds and grammar are the same; traditional characters take a little longer to write, and many learners find them easier to recognise.