Taiwan Mandarin has its own words and readings, but a lot of graded reading for Chinese learners is recorded on the mainland. In Taiwan's 2020 census, about two in three people said Mandarin was the main language they use, so there is plenty to hear once you can follow it. Taiwan Mandarin you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input.
Pick scenes where only about one word in each sentence is new. Early on, a short scene teaches you that people in Taiwan call instant noodles 泡麵. Later, a longer video gives you enough clues to work out that 夯 means popular right now. For courses, dictionaries, and writing apps, see our Taiwan Mandarin app comparison.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Taiwan Mandarin. You learn from Taiwan Mandarin you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each lesson in Taiwan Mandarin about what you choose, like renting a scooter or a weekend in Jiufen. The news you read in Bubblegum comes from Taiwan.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum can't open a book or show you found yourself. For those, use the readers and subtitle tools below.
- Lessons, news, and stories in traditional characters, with the words people use in Taiwan.
- Put zhuyin or pinyin above every character, or turn both off.
- Words like 綜合 come with the Taiwan reading first and the mainland one beside it.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you read them again in new contexts.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You cannot bring in your own books, articles, or shows.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
Read Graded Stories in Traditional Characters
StayTW and Literate Chinese write for Taiwan, and Du Chinese can show its stories in traditional characters with zhuyin.
StayTW
StayTW is made only for Taiwan Mandarin. Its readings are short articles about everyday life on the island, so you learn how things work in Taiwan while you read.
- Graded readings about real life in Taiwan, such as health insurance, garbage trucks, and typhoon days.
- Taiwan-accent audio for words, example sentences, and articles.
- No simplified characters and no mainland readings.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
Literate Chinese
Literate Chinese picks stories that match the words you know. Tap any word for zhuyin or pinyin and its meaning, and listen to the story read aloud.
- More than 650 graded stories, with traditional characters and zhuyin.
- Set it to Taiwan, and the stories use Taiwan words and Taiwan Mandarin audio.
- See how much of each story you can already read before you start.
- Flashcards
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
Du Chinese
Du Chinese writes its stories for Chinese learners in general, so pair them with Taiwan audio from the other apps on this page. It is one of the apps that inspired Bubblegum.
- More than 3,000 readings, from beginner to advanced.
- Switch every story to traditional characters with zhuyin.
- See the translation of each sentence.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
Read Taiwan Mandarin You Choose
These tools help you read text you bring yourself, such as a Taiwan news article or a web novel.
TaiwanCards
TaiwanCards keeps its reader next to a Taiwan dictionary, so every word you look up comes with Taiwan readings. It's free to use, with no ads.
- Paste in an article and read it with the dictionary already open.
- Word audio was recorded for Taiwan's Ministry of Education dictionary.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Web
Pleco
Learners on Reddit (r/ChineseLanguage) often name Pleco for Taiwan Mandarin.
- Copy a Taiwan news article into its reader and tap any word you don't know.
- Add the free Cross-Straits dictionary to see how Taiwan says a word before the mainland form.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
Readibu
Readibu is built for Chinese web novels. It suits advanced learners who want long reads.
- Show zhuyin or pinyin over each word.
- Switch any text between simplified and traditional characters.
- Bring in web pages and ebooks.
- The novels are written for Chinese readers, so they suit learners who know many words.
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ's Taiwanese Mandarin library includes a course of interviews from Mandarin with Ms Lin. Bring in a video from a Taiwan channel and read its subtitles while it plays.
- Read and listen to lessons in traditional characters.
- Bring in YouTube videos, podcasts, and articles from Taiwan.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- No Zhuyin
MobileWeb
Watch Taiwan Shows With Subtitle Help
Language Reactor
Language Reactor adds learning tools to Netflix and YouTube in Chrome. Try it with a Taiwan drama such as Wave Makers on Netflix, and replay each line until you hear every word.
- See Chinese subtitles beside a translation on Netflix and YouTube.
- Pause and replay one line when it goes too fast.
- Traditional characters
Browser extension
Migaku
It suits learners who already watch Taiwan dramas on Netflix or YouTube.
- Show zhuyin over words in shows and on web pages.
- Pick a Taiwan Mandarin voice for read-along.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileBrowser extension
Free Taiwan Mandarin to Watch and Hear
You can watch and hear all of these for free. They go from the gentlest to the hardest.
| What | Why It Helps | Try It When |
|---|---|---|
| Learn Mandarin with TaiwanPlus | Short videos explained in English, about Mandarin as people use it in Taiwan, such as at a convenience store | You're just starting |
| Taiwanese Mandarin With Miss Lin | A teacher from Taipei shares lessons and real conversations about Taiwan | You know some basics |
| Easy Mandarin: Videos From Taiwan | Street interviews in Taiwan with Chinese and English subtitles | Short chats feel easy |
| 水果冰淇淋 | Taiwan's public TV preschool show, on air since 1998 | Simple speech feels easy |
| 還可中文 Haike Mandarin | Real conversations, stories, and culture, in Taiwan Mandarin | You follow simple chats |
| Learn Taiwanese Mandarin | All in Chinese, with new words explained in slower, easier Chinese | You're at an intermediate level |
| 一字千金 | A public TV quiz show about Chinese characters, with the characters on screen | You can follow fast talk |
| 俗女養成記 | A drama about a woman from Tainan, as an adult and as a child, with some Taiwanese Hokkien mixed in | Most Taiwan speech feels easy |
A learner on Reddit (r/ChineseLanguage) reports that PTS+, the streaming service of Taiwan's public TV, works only in Taiwan, so outside Taiwan, use its YouTube channels.
Compare Taiwan Mandarin Support
The table shows which apps use traditional characters, zhuyin, Taiwan words, and Taiwan audio.
| App | Traditional | Zhuyin | Taiwan Words | Taiwan Audio | Taiwan Course |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| StayTW | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Literate Chinese | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly |
| Du Chinese | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | No | No |
| TaiwanCards | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pleco | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Readibu | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | No |
| LingQ | Yes | No | Partly | Not confirmed | No |
| Language Reactor | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | No |
| Migaku | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Partly | No |
Learn Taiwan Mandarin in Your Language
These counts cover menu-language choices, including script variants. Word meanings, lesson explanations, and other platforms may differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| StayTW | 7 | Full list |
| Literate Chinese | 1 | Full list |
| Du Chinese | 1 | Full list |
| TaiwanCards | 2 | Full list |
| Pleco | 1 | Full list |
| Readibu | 1 | Full list |
| LingQ | 17 | Full list |
| Language Reactor | 27 | Full list |
| Migaku | 4 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (8)
- FluentUA library of videos for learners that you can filter by region, including Taiwan, with a switch for traditional characters.
- GlossikaA Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) course of sentences from A1 to C1, shown in traditional characters with recorded audio.
- HuliGraded stories written and recorded by people in Taiwan, with traditional characters. It is new and growing.
- Zhong ChineseLessons, readings, and audio built for traditional characters and Taiwan Mandarin. It is new and growing.
- SmartReading-MandarinGraded e-books with audio from a team at National Taiwan Normal University, in traditional or simplified characters.
- ChineseSkillA Chinese course app with a separate traditional-character course for Mandarin from Taiwan.
- HanpingA Chinese dictionary with Taiwan readings, zhuyin, and Taiwan voices for its example sentences.
- maayot, The Chairman's Bao, and HelloChineseGraded stories, news, and courses that can switch to traditional characters.
Common Questions
Which Taiwan Mandarin app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Taiwan Mandarin, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with StayTW if you want short readings about life in Taiwan, or TaiwanPlus's free videos on YouTube.
Are there graded readers set in Taiwan?
Yes. Talk Taiwanese Mandarin with Abby publishes graded readers about Taiwan and its culture. Level 1 uses 300 different characters and retells the Taiwanese folk tale of the Tiger Aunt, and Level 2 uses 500.
How many words are on the TOCFL word list?
TOCFL, Taiwan's official Mandarin test, lists about 8,000 words in its reference list, the 華語八千詞表, on its download page.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Taiwanese Mandarin (2020 census: 66.3% of people aged six and over use Mandarin as their main language)
- Moedict (Cross-Strait dictionary): 泡麵, with the mainland word 方便麵
- Moedict (Cross-Strait dictionary): 夯, popular in Taiwan
- StayTW on the App Store
- Literate Chinese on the App Store (Taiwan or Mainland setting, Taiwan Mandarin audio, zhuyin)
- Du Chinese: The Du Chinese Method (voice actors in China)
- TaiwanCards
- Pleco forums: Taiwan pronunciations in the Cross-Straits dictionary
- Moedict (Cross-Strait dictionary): 綜合, with the Taiwan and mainland readings
- Pleco on the App Store (paid add-ons marked ($))
- Readibu: Chinese novel reader (pinyin or zhuyin over words, simplified and traditional)
- LingQ: Taiwanese Mandarin courses
- LingQ forum: no zhuyin in the reader
- Language Reactor forum: traditional or simplified subtitles depend on the video
- Migaku: Learn Chinese (courses in simplified characters)
- Chinese learner discussion: Resources for learning Taiwanese Mandarin with bopomofo
- Chinese learner discussion: PTS+ streaming is region-locked
- Learn Mandarin with TaiwanPlus on YouTube
- Taiwanese Mandarin With Miss Lin on YouTube
- Easy Mandarin: Videos From Taiwan (playlist)
- PTS 水果冰淇淋 on YouTube (preschool show since 1998)
- 還可中文 Haike Mandarin on Apple Podcasts
- Learn Taiwanese Mandarin podcast on Apple Podcasts
- Talk Taiwanese Mandarin with Abby: graded readers set in Taiwan
- PTS 一字千金 on YouTube
- CTS 華視戲劇頻道 on YouTube (俗女養成記)
- Wave Makers on Netflix
- Chinese Wikipedia: 俗女養成記 (set in Tainan and Taipei, in Mandarin and Taiwanese)
- TOCFL: downloads (華語八千詞表, the 8,000-word list)
- Bubblegum
- Du Chinese
- Readibu
- Migaku
Checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's own pages.
