Many programs for international students are taught in English, and Study in Taiwan's program search has a filter for how much. Outside class, you will need Mandarin at places like the bank and the clinic.
An email to a professor uses (nín) and openings and closings that you would never say aloud. Here is a short request to join a full course.
| Part of the email | What it means | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| 【經濟學原理】加簽申請（交換生 安娜）[jīngjìxué yuánlǐ] jiāqiān shēnqǐng (jiāohuànshēng Ānnà) | Subject: [Principles of Economics] Request to join (exchange student Anna) | Put the course name and your name where the professor sees them first. |
| 林教授您好：Lín jiàoshòu nínhǎo: | Hello, Professor Lin: | You can also write 林老師您好 (Lín lǎoshī nínhǎo). |
| 我是本學期的交換學生安娜，來自美國。wǒ shì běn xuéqí de jiāohuàn xuéshēng Ānnà, láizì Měiguó. | I'm Anna, an exchange student this semester, from the United States. | Say who you are before you ask. |
| 我想加選您的「經濟學原理」，想請問您是否可以讓我加簽？wǒ xiǎng jiāxuǎn nín de "jīngjìxué yuánlǐ", xiǎng qǐngwèn nín shìfǒu kěyǐ ràng wǒ jiāqiān? | I'd like to add your course "Principles of Economics". May I ask whether you could let me in? | One request, in one sentence. |
| 謝謝教授撥冗閱讀。xièxie jiàoshòu bōrǒng yuèdú. | Thank you, Professor, for taking the time to read this. | 撥冗 (bōrǒng) is only for writing. |
| 敬祝 平安順心jìngzhù píngān shùnxīn | Wishing you peace and smooth days. | A standard closing. For a teacher you can also write 敬祝 教安 (jìngzhù jiào'ān). |
| 學生 安娜 敬上xuéshēng Ānnà jìngshàng | Respectfully, student Anna | 敬上 (jìngshàng) ends a letter and is not spoken. |
Add your student ID (學號 (xuéhào)), your home university and the course number, so the professor can find you.
A syllabus is the plan for the term. These words show up on one.
| Word | What it means | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 課程大綱kèchéng dàgāng | Syllabus | It lists the work and how you are graded. |
| 出席chūxí | Attendance | One real syllabus counts it for 10% of the grade. |
| qǐngjià | Ask for leave | The same syllabus asks you to explain before you miss class. |
| 作業zuòyè | Homework | Work you hand in. |
| 繳交jiǎojiāo | Hand in | The same syllabus accepts no late work. |
| 期中考qízhōng kǎo | Midterm exam | Held in the middle of the term. |
| 期末考qímò kǎo | Final exam | The last exam before classes end. |
Your school's international office usually handles the residence permit. For the steps and deadlines, read the National Immigration Agency's guidelines for foreign students and the National Health Insurance Administration's page for foreign residents. These rules change, so check them before you go.
TaiwanPlus has a free campus episode of Mandarin on the Go. It teaches how to ask someone if they have class today and what they like to do after class, and it adds the words for library, gym and the days of the week. It is small talk with a classmate, so the dorm, bank and clinic lines above are not in it. The vocabulary list is in the video description.
Phrases for travelers, work and family visits are on their own pages.
萌典 Moedict
萌典 Moedict is a free dictionary built on the Ministry of Education's dictionary of Taiwan. Use it when you meet a word on a form or a sign that this page doesn't cover.
- Look up a Taiwan word to see its meaning, its zhuyin and its pinyin.
- Search in traditional characters.
- 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.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, that you start at a university in Taipei next month, and she writes the conversation you will have at the dorm desk, at your level. If you can't read zhuyin yet, the zhuyin course teaches 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
How Much Mandarin Do I Need Before I Go?
Check how much of your program is taught in English: Study in Taiwan's program search has a filter for it, and your department can tell you whether any required course is in Mandarin. Outside class, Mandarin is the main language, so learn the bank and clinic lines first.
Is Taiwan Mandarin Different From Mainland Mandarin?
Yes. Signs and books use traditional characters, schools teach sounds with zhuyin, and some everyday words differ, like (jiéyùn) for the metro. The Taiwan vs Mainland Mandarin guide has the list.
Do I Need the TOCFL?
Ask your department. Universities in Taiwan use TOCFL certificates to check your Chinese, and the TOCFL test guide has the levels and dates.
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
- Study in Taiwan, Find a Program (the program search can be filtered by how much is taught in English: above 90%, 70%, 50%, under 50%, or taught in Chinese)
- Study in Taiwan, Living in Taiwan (school staff help new students with health insurance; students typically start with a private plan and move to National Health Insurance later; bring your NHI card or insurance certificate to a clinic; bank account details are on the Contact Taiwan site)
- National Immigration Agency, Guidelines for online application for residence, extension of residence and registration of changes for foreign students (2026-08-28)
- National Health Insurance Administration, Foreign nationals who reside in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC): enrollment
- National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University GMBA, My Life in Taiwan as an International Student (2023-08-28: English is commonly spoken on university campuses; outside them the main language is Mandarin)
- National Taiwan University International Students Services, Courses (the add/drop period is the first two weeks; some courses need a permission number from the instructor; withdrawal after the period needs signatures)
- National Taiwan University Office of Academic Affairs, 113-2 申請教師同意加簽流程 (a student downloads a 加簽單 and gets the course teacher's agreement to be added to a course)
- National Taiwan University, 國際生華語 中級三 上課大綱 (a real syllabus: 課程要求, 出席, 請假, 作業, 繳交, 期中考, 期末考, 報告, 評量方式)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep15: Campus Conversations in Mandarin (asking if someone has class today, what they like to do after class, and the words for library, gym and days of the week; vocabulary list in the video description)
- Dcard freshman board, 如何寫email給大學教授/老師 (a student's example: 老師您好 or 教授您好, a subject with the course and your name, your department, student ID and reason, a closing with 敬上)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 學號 (the record number a school gives each student)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 鑰匙 (a thing that opens a lock)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 耳機 (a receiver worn on or in the ears)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 額滿 (the set number has been reached)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 學分 (a unit for the weight of a subject; usually one hour of class a week for a term is one credit)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 退選 (to drop a course you chose)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 截止 (to stop at a certain time)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 撥冗 (to clear away busy matters and make free time)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 敬上 (a respectful word that ends a letter)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 期中考 (a test held in the middle of a term)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 期末考 (the last exam before classes end)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 請假 (to ask for leave)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 繳交 (to pay in or hand over)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 分組 (to divide a group into smaller units)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 居留證 (a document a government gives a foreigner to allow them to stay)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 申請書 (a document that asks for something from an agency)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 提款卡 (a card for an ATM that works with a password)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 審核 (to examine and assess)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 掛號 (to give a number and register)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 初診 (a patient's first visit to a hospital or clinic)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 健保卡 (the card that proves you are in National Health Insurance and that you show at every visit)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 不舒服 (unwell; not comfortable)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 發燒 (to run a fever)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 喉嚨 (the throat)
- 萌典 Moedict
