The best Taiwan Mandarin listening app depends on whose voice you want to hear and what text sits next to it. Poppy writes lessons with read-aloud audio, StayTW advertises Taiwan-accent audio, Literate Chinese lets you set the audio to Taiwan, and Glossika has you listen to Taiwan sentences. Traditional characters on the screen don't make the audio Taiwan Mandarin, so this page looks at the voices and controls of each option. For courses, dictionaries and reading, see our Taiwan Mandarin app comparison.
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.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Taiwan Mandarin lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so you hear them in new contexts.
- Lessons are in
Taiwan Mandarin, with Traditional characters and zhuyin, and each one comes with read-aloud audio. - Ask Poppy to explain a sentence you can't follow.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter in the free Taiwanese Mandarin Zhuyin course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- The read-aloud voices are generated, so for Taiwan speakers talk with a tutor or a language partner.
- It has no videos.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
StayTW
StayTW suits learners who want to hear Taiwan Mandarin from the first word and slow it down to copy it.
- Words, examples and articles come with Taiwan-accent audio, in Traditional characters, zhuyin and pinyin.
- Shadowing mode lets you slow the audio, then compare your recording with the model.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Zhuyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
Literate Chinese
Literate Chinese suits learners who want to follow a story with text and audio together. Set the audio to Taiwan before you start.
- Video lessons have subtitles that move with the audio, and you tap a word to hear it.
- The audio setting offers Taiwan or Mainland voices, male or female.
- Flashcards
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
Glossika has a Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) course of sentences in Traditional characters, and it says native speakers record the audio. Language Reactor and LingQ work with media you pick. A Traditional subtitle line on a video does not tell you where the speaker is from, so choose a Taiwan video or a Taiwan lesson yourself.
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- GlossikaA Taiwan Mandarin course of sentences with Traditional text and native-speaker audio. The provider advertises online and offline mobile use. The free trial lasts seven days.
- Language ReactorA Chrome extension that adds subtitles and playback controls to YouTube and Netflix videos. Choose a Taiwan video yourself, since the subtitles depend on each video. Streaming subscriptions are separate.
- LingQA library of Taiwanese Mandarin lessons with audio next to the text, and you can import your own. The free plan allows 20 saved words and 5 imports, and Premium removes those limits and adds offline access.
| App | Usable in English | Learning help in English | Text with the audio | Speed and replay | Offline | Voices | Free boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Yes | Lesson text with read-aloud audio | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Generated read-aloud voices | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro |
| StayTW | Yes | Yes | Traditional characters, zhuyin and pinyin | Slow the audio in shadowing | Unconfirmed | Taiwan accent advertised | Free lessons and practice; Premium paid |
| Literate Chinese | Yes | Partly | Stories, and subtitles that move with the audio on videos | Tapped-word audio; loop unconfirmed | Offline review | Taiwan or Mainland, male or female | Core tools and some stories free |
| Glossika | Unconfirmed | Yes | Traditional text with each sentence | Unconfirmed | Advertised for mobile | Native speakers, Taiwan course | Seven-day trial, then paid |
| Language Reactor | Yes | Partly | Subtitles on YouTube and Netflix, depending on the video | Playback controls; loop details unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Whatever video you choose | In-app purchases; streaming subscriptions separate |
| LingQ | Yes | Yes | Library audio next to text | Unconfirmed | Premium | Choose Taiwan-specific lessons | 20 saved words and 5 imports free |
If you also want to read and watch Taiwan Mandarin, our Taiwan Mandarin comprehensible input app comparison covers reading and video apps. For listening apps in any language, see our listening practice apps guide.
Which Taiwan Mandarin listening app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Taiwan Mandarin, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or choose StayTW to hear Taiwan-accent audio from the first word, or Glossika to listen to full Taiwan sentences.
Does Traditional Chinese mean the audio is Taiwan Mandarin?
No. Traditional characters are only the text. StayTW and Glossika advertise Taiwan audio, and Literate Chinese lets you switch between Taiwan and Mainland voices. With your own media, pick a speaker from Taiwan.
Can I slow down Taiwan Mandarin audio?
StayTW's shadowing mode lets you slow the audio. Language Reactor advertises playback controls on the videos you pick.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- StayTW: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Literate Chinese: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Glossika: Taiwan Mandarin course
- LingQ: Taiwanese Mandarin courses
- LingQ: free and Premium
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Language Reactor: Chrome Web Store listing
- Bubblegum
- StayTW
- Literate Chinese
