A first trip to Taiwan is mostly reading signs in traditional characters and answering short questions at counters.
| On the sign | What it means | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 出口chūkǒu | Exit | The opposite, 入口 (rùkǒu), is the entrance. |
| 廁所cèsuǒ | Restroom | Also called 洗手間 (xǐshǒujiān). Taipei Metro stations have them, and if one is outside the gates, station staff can let you through the service gate at no charge. |
| 單程票dānchéngpiào | Single-journey ticket | For the MRT. In Taipei you can also tap a stored-value card like an EasyCard, called 悠遊卡 (yōuyóukǎ), or a bank card or phone, at the gates. |
| 禁止飲食jìnzhǐ yǐnshí | No eating or drinking | In Taipei Metro it applies inside the yellow line at the fare gates, and water counts too. |
| 公休gōngxiū | Closed for the shop's regular day off |
Buying an EasyCard at the MRT
買悠遊卡與問路
Level 2A passenger is buying an EasyCard at the MRT station.
Hello, I'd like to buy an EasyCard and top it up with 500 dollars.
Sure, here is your card.
Excuse me, which line should I take to Taipei Main Station?
You need to take the Red Line. Also, eating and drinking water are not allowed inside the station.
Okay, got it. Thank you!
You're welcome! Have a great day.
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 請問，最近的捷運站在哪裡？qǐngwèn, zuìjìn de jiéyùnzhàn zài nǎlǐ? | Excuse me, where is the nearest MRT station? | Put any place before 在哪裡 (zài nǎlǐ) to ask where it is. |
| 直走，然後右轉。zhí zǒu, ránhòu yòu zhuǎn. | Go straight, then turn right. | Expect to hear this when you ask the way. Left is 左轉 (zuǒ zhuǎn). |
| 我要去這裡。wǒ yào qù zhèlǐ. | I want to go here. | For a taxi, show the address or a map on your phone while you say it. |
Asking Where the MRT Station Is
請問，捷運站在哪裡？
Level 1David is in Taipei and wants to go to the MRT station.
Excuse me, where is the MRT station?
The MRT station is up ahead. Walk straight, then turn right.
Okay, thank you!
You're welcome, goodbye!
Open with 請問 (qǐngwèn), the polite way to start a question, then name the place.
Save your hotel's name and address in Chinese characters, so you can show them to a driver or match them to a sign.
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 內用還是外帶？nèiyòng háishì wàidài? | Is it for here or to go? | Answer with just 內用 (nèiyòng) or 外帶 (wàidài). |
| 要加辣嗎？yào jiā là ma? | Do you want it spicy? | Say 小辣 (xiǎo là) for a little or 不要辣 (bú yào là) for none. Hot pot shops also offer 中辣 (zhōng là) and 大辣 (dà là). |
| 請問，這個是什麼？qǐngwèn, zhège shì shénme? | Excuse me, what is this? | Point at a line on the menu or at the dish. |
| 這個多少錢？zhège duōshǎo qián? | How much is this? | Point at the item. The answer comes back in numbers. People say 塊 (kuài) for money out loud, as in 一百二十塊 (yìbǎi èrshí kuài), and 元 (yuán) is the written form on menus and receipts. |
| 我要一份蛋餅。wǒ yào yí fèn dànbǐng. | I'd like one egg pancake. | Swap in the dish you want. |
| 半糖少冰。bàn táng shǎo bīng. | Half sugar, less ice. | At a drink shop you pick the sugar and ice level. 去冰 (qù bīng) is no ice, and 無糖 (wú táng) is no sugar. |
| 麻煩結帳。máfan jiézhàng. | Could I have the bill, please? | At a restaurant table, say 麻煩 (máfan) first. 買單 (mǎidān) means the same and is just as common. |
Ordering at a Night Market
我要一個雞排
Level 2David is buying things at the night market.
Boss, I'd like a fried chicken cutlet.
Sure, would you like a drink?
I'd like a boba milk tea, half sugar and less ice.
No problem, anything else?
That's all, how much is it?
That's 150 dollars in total.
Okay, thank you!
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 要袋子嗎？yào dàizi ma? | Do you want a bag? | Chain convenience stores and supermarkets may not give plastic bags for free, so the cashier asks first. |
| 要加熱嗎？yào jiārè ma? | Do you want it heated? | Convenience stores will microwave the food you buy. |
| 有載具嗎？yǒu zàijù ma? | Do you have an invoice carrier? | A 載具 (zàijù) is a phone barcode or card that stores your digital receipts for the receipt lottery. If you have none, say 沒有 (méiyǒu). |
| 可以用悠遊卡嗎？kěyǐ yòng yōuyóukǎ ma? | Can I pay with an EasyCard? | An EasyCard pays for public transport and for small purchases. |
| 我要加值。wǒ yào jiāzhí. | I want to top up. | Say it at the counter with your EasyCard and cash in hand. |
| 一共一百二十元。yígòng yìbǎi èrshí yuán. | That is NT$120 in total. | The cashier says the total. 一百二十 (yìbǎi èrshí) is one hundred twenty. |
Buying Bread at a Convenience Store
買麵包
Level 1David went to the store to buy bread.
Hello! Do you need a bag?
No bag, thank you.
Okay. Would you like the bread heated up?
Yes, please heat it up. I'd like to pay with an EasyCard.
Most of what a cashier asks has a one-word answer: 好 (hǎo) for yes or 不用 (bú yòng) for no thanks.
| Phrase | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 不好意思，請再說一次。bù hǎoyìsi, qǐng zài shuō yí cì. | Sorry, please say that once more. | 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) also gets a person's attention. |
| 請說慢一點。qǐng shuō màn yì diǎn. | Please speak a little slower. | |
| 我聽不懂。wǒ tīng bu dǒng. | I don't understand what you said. |
| Phrase | English |
|---|---|
| 早安，要吃什麼？zǎo'ān, yào chī shénme? | Staff: Good morning, what would you like? |
| 我要一份蛋餅。wǒ yào yí fèn dànbǐng. | You: I'd like one egg pancake. |
| 要加辣嗎？yào jiā là ma? | Staff: Do you want it spicy? |
| 小辣。xiǎo là. | You: A little. |
| 內用還是外帶？nèiyòng háishì wàidài? | Staff: For here or to go? |
| 內用。nèiyòng. | You: For here. |
You say three of these six lines, and you only need to follow the rest.
Mandarin on the Go is a TaiwanPlus show about the Mandarin people speak in Taiwan. Each episode covers one everyday scene, like asking for directions or checking in to a hotel, and comes with a vocabulary list.
The free Google Translate app can read a sign through your phone's camera. Small or stylized text may come out wrong.
Pleco
Pleco has no ads, and the basic version is free on iPhone and Android. It can show words in traditional characters with pinyin or zhuyin.
- Point the camera at a sign or menu to look up its characters.
- Draw a character with your finger when you can't type it.
- Look up words without an internet connection.
- Flashcards
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
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 trip topic, like checking in to a hotel in Taipei, and Poppy, your AI tutor, writes you a lesson about 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
Do You Need to Speak Mandarin to Travel in Taiwan?
Not at the major transport hubs. Their signs are being updated to show Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean, starting with Taipei Main Station, and the Tourism Administration's hotline, 0800-011-765, answers around the clock in those same four languages. The lines above are for the moments a sign can't cover, like ordering at a breakfast shop.
Should You Learn Zhuyin or Pinyin Before a Trip?
For a trip, start with pinyin. It is used on signs, and the readings in this guide are pinyin. Taiwan's schools teach sounds with zhuyin, so learn it next if you plan to stay and study. Bubblegum has a zhuyin course and a pinyin course, and both play audio.
Do You Need to Learn Taiwanese Hokkien for a Trip?
No, start with Mandarin. Signs and station announcements begin with it. Taiwanese Hokkien is a different language, and 81.9 percent of people said they use it at home in the 2010 census (people could name more than one language). Taipei Metro announcements play Mandarin first, then the foreign languages, then Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka.
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
- Wikipedia, Taiwanese Mandarin (written with traditional characters; pinyin is used on signs, while most people in Taiwan learn Mandarin sounds through zhuyin)
- Taipei Times, Major transit hubs rolling out multilingual signage (signs in Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean, starting with Taipei Main Station; 2026-03-01)
- Taiwan Tourism Administration, Travel Information (the toll-free Tourist Hotline 0800-011-765, around the clock in Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean)
- Taipei Metro, For Your Convenience (restrooms in stations, and the service gate to reach one at no charge)
- Taipei Metro, Metro Tickets & Travel Pass Recommendations (stored value cards such as EasyCard are accepted on public transport and for small payments)
- 臺北捷運, 捷運系統內旅客禁止飲食規定與範圍為何? (no eating or drinking inside the yellow line at the fare gates, water included)
- 臺北捷運, 車票種類 儲值卡 (單程票 and 儲值卡 on Taipei Metro's own pages)
- 悠遊卡股份有限公司 (EasyCard Corporation: 悠遊卡, 加值, 載具)
- 悠遊卡股份有限公司, 銅板加值 悠遊卡全台服務點最多 四大便利超商、義美門市、三大捷運 (EasyCard top-ups at convenience stores)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep1: First Day in Taiwan, Asking for Directions in Mandarin
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep2: Taking Public Transport in Taiwan (EasyCard top-up)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep4: How to Order Taiwanese Breakfast in Mandarin (for here or to go, spice)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep7: How to Order Hot Pot in Mandarin (little, medium and very spicy)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep9: How to Order Bubble Tea and Shaken Tea Drinks (sugar and ice levels)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep13: Speak Mandarin at Taiwan's Convenience Stores (food heated in a microwave, the receipt lottery)
- Focus Taiwan, Taiwan to add more NT$500 prizes to cloud invoice lottery (receipt lottery drawn every two months; digital carriers linked to a mobile barcode; 2026-08-21)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 出口 (exit; its opposite is 入口)
- 臺北捷運, 旅客刷票進站後須暫時出站(上廁所)該如何處理 (station staff help you through the service gate or give a temporary pass, free of charge)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 廁所 (restroom)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 洗手間 (restroom, also 廁所)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 單程票 (a ticket for one trip)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 公休 (a shop's regular day off)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 請問 (a polite way to ask)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 蛋餅 (egg pancake)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 結帳 (to settle the bill)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 外帶 (food taken away)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 袋子 (a bag)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 加熱 (to heat)
- Taipei Times, Taipei Metro station announcements (Mandarin, then foreign languages, then Hoklo and Hakka; 2023-06-08)
- 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)
- 環境部, 限制使用塑膠購物袋 (chain convenience stores and supermarkets may not give plastic shopping bags for free)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep6: How to Buy Fruit at a Traditional Market (ask the price: 多少錢)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 買單 (to settle the bill)
- 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (moedict.tw), 元 (a unit of money)
- Wiktionary, 塊 (the Taiwan word for the unit of money, 元, in speech)
- Pleco, Pleco Chinese Dictionary on the App Store (no ads; traditional characters with pinyin or zhuyin; handwriting; camera lookup is a paid add-on)
- Pleco, Pleco for iPhone / iPad (the basic version is free; once dictionaries are downloaded it runs without an internet connection)
- Pleco, Pleco Chinese Dictionary on Google Play (free app, camera lookup is a paid add-on)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go (teaches Taiwanese Mandarin through real-life scenarios; a vocabulary list comes with each video)
- TaiwanPlus, Mandarin on the Go Ep3: How to Check Into a Hotel Using Mandarin
- Google Translate Help, Translate images (use your phone's camera to translate signs; small, unclear or stylized text may not be accurate)
- Google Translate on the App Store (free; instant camera translation)
