At a family visit in Taiwan, you greet each relative by title and thank the cook.
| Term | Who it is | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 阿公āgōng | Grandfather | A word many Taiwanese families use. The Ministry of Education's Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka dictionaries both list it. Some families use it only for the father's father, and others for both grandfathers. |
| 阿嬤āmà | Grandmother | Used the same way as 阿公, with the same family-by-family differences. The Ministry's Mandarin dictionary says Hakka people call a grandmother 阿婆 (āpó). |
| 爺爺yéye | Your father's father | |
| 奶奶nǎinai | Your father's mother | |
| 外公wàigōng | Your mother's father | 外 (wài) marks the mother's side. |
| 外婆wàipó | Your mother's mother |
The Ministry of Education's dictionary also lists 阿公 and 阿嬤 as other names for 外公 and 外婆. Families settle on their own words, so listen to what the grandchildren call them and say the same.
| Term | Who it is | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 伯伯bóbo · 伯父bófù · 伯母bómǔ | Your father's older brother and his wife | The dictionary calls 伯伯 the spoken word for 伯父, so it is what people say to the uncle himself. The dictionary also lists 伯父 and 伯母 for a friend's or classmate's parents, which is why they are a polite greeting for a friend's parents. |
| 叔叔shúshu · 嬸嬸shěnshen | Your father's younger brother and his wife | 叔叔 also fits a man of your father's generation who is younger than he is. |
| 姑姑gūgu | Your father's sister | |
| 舅舅jiùjiu · 舅媽jiùmā | Your mother's brother and his wife | |
| 阿姨āyí | Your mother's sister | It also fits a woman about your mother's age. |
| 姑丈gūzhàng · 姨丈yízhàng | The husbands of your father's sister and your mother's sister | |
| 堂哥tánggē · 表哥biǎogē | An older male cousin | 堂哥 is the son of your father's brother. 表哥 is the son of your father's sister or of a mother's sibling. |
For the other cousins, keep 堂 or 表 and change the last character: 姊 (jiě) for an older girl, 弟 (dì) for a younger boy and 妹 (mèi) for a younger girl. So 堂妹 is a younger girl cousin on your father's brother's side.
For the titles on both sides of the family, see What Do You Call Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles in Taiwan Mandarin?.
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 伯父、伯母好，我是凱文。bófù, bómǔ hǎo, wǒ shì Kǎiwén. | Hello, Uncle and Auntie. I'm Kevin. | Put the title before 好 (hǎo), and swap in your own name. |
| 打擾了。dǎrǎo le. | Sorry to bother you. | Guests say it as they step inside. |
| 這是一點小心意。zhè shì yìdiǎn xiǎo xīnyì. | This is a little something for you. | Say it as you hand over a gift. |
Arriving at a Friend's House
大明去朋友的家
Level 2Daming goes to his friend's house.
Hello, Uncle and Auntie!
Hello! Please come in, have a seat.
This is a small gift for you both.
You really didn't need to be so polite coming here.
Thank you, we love it.
Thank you, Uncle and Auntie.
Here, please have some tea.
Take off your shoes at the door, and accept the slippers if the host hands you a pair. A small gift such as fruit says thank you for the invitation, and a host may decline it at first, so offer it again.
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 多吃一點。duō chī yìdiǎn. | Eat a little more. | Hosts say it, and they may put food on your plate without asking. |
| 我真的吃飽了，吃不下了。wǒ zhēnde chībǎo le, chī bu xià le. | I'm really full. I can't eat any more. | 吃飽 (chībǎo) means to eat until you are full. |
| 這道菜很好吃，是您做的嗎？zhè dào cài hěn hǎochī, shì nín zuò de ma? | This dish is delicious. Did you make it? | |
| 今天吃得很開心，讓您費心了。jīntiān chī de hěn kāixīn, ràng nín fèixīn le. | I really enjoyed the meal today. Thank you for going to so much trouble. | 費心 (fèixīn) means to take trouble, and guests use it to thank the cook. When you leave, you can also say 謝謝招待 (xièxie zhāodài), which means thanks for having me. |
Dinner at a Friend's House
多吃一點
Level 1Daming is having dinner at a friend's house.
Daming, have some more!
Thank you, Auntie, the food is delicious!
Would you like another bowl of rice?
Thank you, Uncle, yes please!
The oldest person at the table eats first, and the youngest waits until everyone older has begun. Someone may say 開動 (kāidòng) before the first bite. Never stand chopsticks upright in a rice bowl, because it looks like incense at a temple.
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 吃飽了沒？chībǎo le méi? | Have you eaten? | The same question is a common hello in Taiwanese Hokkien, and older people use it most, so an older relative may greet you this way. You may also hear 吃飽沒 (chībǎo méi) or 吃飽了嗎 (chībǎo le ma). Answer 吃飽了 if you have. |
| 路上累不累？lùshàng lèi bú lèi? | Were you tired on the way? | Answer 不累 (bú lèi) for not tired or 有一點累 (yǒu yìdiǎn lèi) for a little tired. |
| 在台灣住得習慣嗎？zài Táiwān zhù de xíguàn ma? | Are you getting used to living in Taiwan? | 習慣 (xíguàn) means to get used to something. Answer 還習慣 (hái xíguàn) for I'm getting used to it. |
| 你這次要待幾天？nǐ zhè cì yào dāi jǐ tiān? | How many days are you staying this time? | 待 (dāi) means to stay. |
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 阿嬤，聽得到我嗎？āmà, tīng de dào wǒ ma? | Grandma, can you hear me? | Swap in the title of the person you are calling. |
| 網路不太好，我再打一次。wǎnglù bú tài hǎo, wǒ zài dǎ yí cì. | The connection isn't good. I'll call again. | 網路 (wǎnglù) is the usual Taiwan word for the Internet. |
| 您慢慢說，我在聽。nín mànmàn shuō, wǒ zài tīng. | Take your time. I'm listening. | Say it when a relative starts a long story. |
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 新年快樂，祝您身體健康。xīnnián kuàilè, zhù nín shēntǐ jiànkāng. | Happy New Year, and I wish you good health. | Say it to an older relative. 祝 (zhù) means to wish. |
| 歲歲平安。suìsuì píng'ān. | Peace every year. | People say it if something made of ceramic or glass breaks at New Year. 歲 (suì) sounds like 碎 (suì), which means to shatter. |
The big family meal is on New Year's Eve, and older relatives usually hand red envelopes, 紅包 (hóngbāo), to younger ones. 恭喜發財 (gōngxǐ fācái) is another common New Year greeting.
| Phrase | English |
|---|---|
| 來，快進來，拖鞋在這裡。lái, kuài jìnlái, tuōxié zài zhèlǐ. | Friend's mother: Come in, quickly. The slippers are here. |
| 伯母好，打擾了。bómǔ hǎo, dǎrǎo le. | You: Hello, Auntie. Sorry to bother you. |
| 路上累不累？lùshàng lèi bú lèi? | Friend's mother: Were you tired on the way? |
| 不累，這是一點小心意。bú lèi, zhè shì yìdiǎn xiǎo xīnyì. | You: Not tired. This is a little something for you. |
| 這道菜很好吃，是您做的嗎？zhè dào cài hěn hǎochī, shì nín zuò de ma? | You: This dish is delicious. Did you make it? |
| 對啊，多吃一點！duì a, duō chī yìdiǎn! | Friend's mother: Yes, I did. Eat a little more! |
| 我真的吃飽了，吃不下了。wǒ zhēnde chībǎo le, chī bu xià le. | You: I'm really full. I can't eat any more. |
| 今天吃得很開心，讓您費心了。jīntiān chī de hěn kāixīn, ràng nín fèixīn le. | You: I really enjoyed the meal today. Thank you for going to so much trouble. |
In the Mandarin on the Go episode Meeting the Family!, a student greets his teacher's mother, father and grandparents, and answers questions about his age and his work. A vocabulary list comes with the video.
萌典 Moedict
Moedict is a free dictionary app and website built from the Ministry of Education's dictionaries of Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka.
- Hear recorded voices for common Mandarin words and for Taiwanese and Hakka entries.
- Check a title like 阿公 (āgōng) without an internet connection.
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
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.
Type a topic such as meeting a friend's family, and Poppy, your AI tutor, builds a lesson around it.
- Lessons use traditional characters and the words people use in Taiwan.
- Read with zhuyin or pinyin over the characters.
- When Taiwan reads a word differently, you see the Taiwan reading first and the mainland one beside it.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading. You can also export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn web novels or books from Taiwan into lessons. However, you can send Poppy a screenshot of a page, and she'll explain it sentence by sentence.
- 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
What Should You Call a Friend's or Partner's Parents?
Use a title and never a first name, and ask your friend or partner which title the family likes. The Ministry of Education's dictionary lists 伯父 (bófù) and 伯母 (bómǔ) for a friend's father and mother, and Taiwan's own Mandarin lessons greet a friend's parents as 叔叔 (shúshu) and 阿姨 (āyí). If the person is only a few years older than you, 哥哥 (gēge) or 姊姊 (jiějie) fits better. See how a surname goes before the title in our guide to Taiwan Mandarin family titles.
Do Families in Taiwan Speak Mandarin at Home?
Most do, and many mix in other languages. In the 2010 census, 83.5 percent of people said they use Mandarin at home, 81.9 percent Taiwanese Hokkien and 6.6 percent Hakka (people could name more than one). Words like 阿公 (āgōng) are also in the Ministry of Education's Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka dictionaries. Our guide to Taiwan vs Mainland Mandarin explains the differences in characters and words.
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
- National Academy for Educational Research (國家教育研究院), 詞條審修列表 (the Ministry of Education's dictionary revision: 外公 now also 阿公, 外婆 now also 阿嬤 or 阿婆, 外祖父 now also 祖父)
- 教育部臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (moedict.tw), 阿公 (a-kong: a father's father, a mother's father, or an elderly man)
- 教育部臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (moedict.tw), 阿媽 (a-má: a father's mother, a mother's mother, or an elderly woman; also written 阿嬤)
- Wiktionary, 阿媽 (阿嬤 is a variant, chiefly Taiwanese Mandarin for grandmother, read āmà in Taiwan)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go: Meeting the Family! Addressing Family Members in Mandarin (greets and addresses a friend's mother, father and grandparents with 阿公, 阿嬷, 阿姨 and 叔叔; answers questions about age and work; 開動 before eating)
- Glossika Blog, How to Address Family Members in Chinese (written by someone in a Taiwanese family: greet older relatives by title, not first name; the terms for aunts, uncles and cousins used in Taiwan; 叔叔 and 阿姨 for elders near the age of your own aunts and uncles)
- Cultural Atlas (SBS and Mosaica), Taiwanese Culture: Etiquette (take off shoes and accept slippers; a small gift such as fruit; a gift may be refused at first; hosts may put food on a guest's plate; the eldest eats first and the youngest waits; chopsticks are never stood upright in the bowl)
- Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office, Top 6 Traditional Festivals in Taiwan (the family gathers for New Year's Eve dinner; red envelopes; say suì suì píng ān if you break something)
- Taiwan News, 5 must-do things in Taiwan on Lunar New Year's Eve (the reunion dinner; red envelopes go from senior family members to younger ones)
- Bite-size Taiwanese, Ep01: How are you doing? (the Taiwanese Hokkien greeting for have you eaten yet; older people use it more widely, and younger people say it to seniors and elder family members)
- Wiktionary, 吃飽 (to eat one's fill; to be full)
- Wiktionary, 新年快樂 (Happy New Year)
- Wiktionary, 網路 (chiefly Taiwan: the Internet)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 爺爺 (a paternal grandfather)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 奶奶 (a paternal grandmother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 外公 (a mother's father)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 外婆 (a mother's mother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 阿婆 (an elderly woman; Hakka people call a grandmother 阿婆)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 伯父 (a father's older brother; also used for a classmate's or friend's father)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 伯母 (the wife of a father's older brother; also used for a classmate's or friend's mother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 叔叔 (a father's younger brother; also a man of the father's generation who is younger than the father)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 嬸嬸 (the wife of a father's younger brother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 姑姑 (a father's sister)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 舅舅 (a mother's brother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 舅媽 (the wife of a mother's brother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 阿姨 (a mother's sister; also a woman about the mother's age)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 堂哥 (an older son of a father's brother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 表哥 (an older son of a father's sister or of a mother's sibling)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 姊 (read jiě; an older female relative of one's own generation, as in 表姊 and 堂姊)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 表弟 (a younger son of a father's sister or of a mother's sibling)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 堂妹 (a younger daughter of a father's brother)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 打擾 (a polite phrase said when being hosted or when troubling someone)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 心意 (feeling, good will)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 費心 (a polite phrase for thanking someone for their effort)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 習慣 (to gradually get used to something)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 待 (read dāi when it means to stay)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 吃不下 (cannot eat any more because one is full)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 紅包 (money given at Spring Festival)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 恭喜發財 (a New Year greeting)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 歲歲平安 (said at Spring Festival when something made of ceramic or glass breaks)
- Wikipedia, Languages of Taiwan (2010 census, percentage of home use: Mandarin 83.5, Taiwanese Hokkien 81.9, Hakka 6.6; people could name more than one language)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 招待 (to host and treat guests)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 伯伯 (the spoken word for 伯父)
- Moedict (萌典) on the App Store (about 160,000 Mandarin, 20,000 Taiwanese and 14,000 Hakka entries from Ministry of Education dictionaries; works offline; recordings play when online)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go (teaches Taiwanese Mandarin through real-life scenarios; a vocabulary list comes with each video)
- 教育部臺灣客家語常用詞辭典 (moedict.tw), 阿公 (a father's father)
