Speak Chinese Like A Taiwanese Local

震驚 zhèn jīng - shocked, astonished 新光三越 xīn guāng sān yuè - Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (a department store chain in Taiwan) 氣爆 qì bào - gas explosion 事故 shì gù - accident, incident 冒出 mào chū - to emerge, to come out (e.g., smoke, fire) 濃煙 nóng yān - thick smoke 場景 chǎng jǐng - scene, setting 災難片 zāi nàn piàn - disaster movie 威力 wēi lì - power, force 竄出 cuàn chū - to rush out, to...

My student told me about this cycling tour, and I think you’d be interested too! 😊 Giant Travel Agency offers a 3-day, 2-night cycling tour along the Hualien-Taitung route. Check it out ! 行程 xíng chéng - itinerary, route 都蘭 dū lán - Dulan (a place in Taitung) 沿著 yán zhe - along, following 海岸線 hǎi àn xiàn - coastline 秘境 mì jìng - hidden gem, secret spot 貼近 tiē jìn - get close to, be n...

竜樹諒 lóng shù liàng - Ryo Tatsuki, a Japanese manga artist 出版 chū bǎn - to publish 我所看見的未來 wǒ suǒ kàn jiàn de wèi lái - The Future I Saw (manga title) 夢境 mèng jìng - dream, dreamscape 皇后樂團 huáng hòu yuè tuán - Queen (the band) 主唱 zhǔ chàng - lead vocalist 去世 qù shì - to pass away, to die 洞窟 dòng kū - cave, cavern 防空洞 fáng kōng dòng - air raid shelter 遇害 yù hài - to be k...

馬祖 Mǎzǔ - Matsu (an archipelago near Taiwan) 兩岸 liǎng'àn - both sides of the Taiwan Strait 對岸 duì'àn - the opposite shore (mainland China in this context) 集結 jíjié - to assemble, to gather 兵力 bīnglì - military forces 配備 pèibèi - to equip, equipment 重型大炮 zhòngxíng dàpào - heavy artillery 射程 shèchéng - range (of a weapon) 覆蓋 fùgài - to cover, to span over 島嶼 dǎoyǔ - isl...

白色情人節 bái sè qíng rén jié - white day 起源 qǐ yuán - origin 商業行銷 shāng yè xíng xiāo - commercial marketing 福岡 fú gāng - Fukuoka (a city in japan) 甜點店 tián diǎn diàn - dessert shop 促銷 cù xiāo - promotion 自家 zì jiā - one’s own (business, store, etc.) 名點 míng diǎn - famous delicacy 回禮 huí lǐ - return gift 砂糖 shā táng - granulated sugar 被稱為是 bèi chēng wéi shì - is called 主...

忙錄 máng lù - busy schedule 晚自習 wǎn zìxí - evening self-study session 化學 huàxué - chemistry 物理 wùlǐ - physics 會考 huì kǎo - high school entrance exam (in Taiwan) 大學學測 dàxué xué cè - university entrance exam in Taiwan 往前衝 wǎng qián chōng - to push forward, to strive ahead 玩樂 wán lè - to have fun, to enjoy leisure activities 不妙 bù miào - bad, not good, unfortunate 早自習 zǎo zìxí...

人工智慧 réngōng zhìhuì - artificial intelligence (AI) 風險 fēngxiǎn - risk 深入 shēnrù - deeply integrated, deeply involved 麥肯錫 Màikěnxī - McKinsey (a global consulting firm) 生成式AI shēngchéngshì AI - generative AI 兆 zhào - trillion 收益 shōuyì - revenue, profit 高效 gāoxiào - highly efficient 範圍 fànwéi - scope, range 隱私 yǐnsī - privacy 參議院 cānyìyuàn - Senate 聽證會 tīngzhènghuì - he...

肯德基 Kěndéjī - KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) 調整 tiáozhěng - to adjust, modify 蛋塔 dành tǎ - egg tart 招牌 zhāopái - signature (dish or item) 外皮 wàipí - outer crust 酥酥脆脆 sū sū cuì cuì - crispy and crunchy 香甜滑順 xiāngtián huáshùn - sweet and smooth 原味 yuánwèi - original flavor 限定口味 xiàndìng kǒuwèi - limited edition flavor 黑糖珍奶蛋塔 hēitáng zhēnnǎi dành tǎ - brown sugar bubble m...

神明 shénmíng - deity, god 土地公 tǔdìgōng - Earth God, a local deity in Taiwanese folk religion 福德正神 fúdé zhèngshén - the formal title of the Earth God (Tudigong) 民間信仰 mínjiān xìnyǎng - folk belief, popular religion 基層 jīcéng - grassroots, basic level 保佑 bǎoyòu - to bless, to protect 村里 cūnlǐ - villages and neighborhoods 百姓 bǎixìng - common people, citizens 無所不在 wúsuǒ búzài -...

男星 nánxīng - male star (actor) 王星 Wáng Xīng - Wang Xing (a person's name) 誘騙 yòupiàn - to lure and deceive 事件 shìjiàn - incident, event 拍戲 pāixì - to shoot a film or TV show 劇組 jùzǔ - film crew, production team 緬甸 Miǎndiàn - Myanmar 行動 xíngdòng - movement, action 淪為 lúnwéi - to be reduced to, to become (in a negative sense) 詐騙集團 zhàpiàn jítuán - fraud syndicate, scam grou...

景點 jǐngdiǎn - tourist attraction 龍虎塔 Lónghǔ Tǎ - Dragon and Tiger Pagodas 左營區 Zuǒyíng Qū - Zuoying District 蓮池潭 Liánchítán - Lotus Pond 興建 xīngjiàn - to construct, to build 神明 shénmíng - deity, god 指示 zhǐshì - instruction, directive 慈濟宮 Cíjì Gōng - Tzu Chi Palace (temple) 保生大帝 Bǎoshēng Dàdì - Baosheng Emperor (a Taoist deity) 災難 zāinàn - disaster, catastrophe 信徒 xìntú -...

母語 mǔyǔ - native language 假設 jiǎshè - to assume, suppose 正確 zhèngquè - correct, accurate 捷克 Jiékè - Czech Republic 點餐 diǎncān - to order food 禮儀 lǐyí - etiquette, manners 打招呼 dǎ zhāohū - to greet, say hello 冒犯 màofàn - to offend 適應 shìyìng - to adapt, get used to 陌生人 mòshēngrén - stranger 孤單 gūdān - lonely, solitude 聯繫 liánxì - to contact, connect 過節 guòjié - to celebra...

二二八紀念日 èr èr bā jìniàn rì - 228 Memorial Day 二二八事件 èr èr bā shìjiàn - The February 28 Incident 國民政府 guómín zhèngfǔ - Nationalist Government (ROC government) 接收 jiēshōu - to take over; to receive 殖民 zhímín - colonization 統治 tǒngzhì - governance; rule 接管 jiēguǎn - to take control; to take over 官員 guānyuán - government official 對日抗戰 duì rì kàngzhàn - War of Resistance Aga...

同志 tóngzhì - LGBTQ+  議題 yìtí - issue; topic of discussion 接受度 jiēshòudù - level of acceptance 名列前茅 míng liè qián máo - to rank among the top 同志婚姻合法化 tóngzhì hūnyīn héfǎhuà - legalization of same-sex marriage 發達 fādá - developed; flourishing 體力 tǐlì - physical stamina 西門紅樓 Xīmén Hónglóu - The Red House, a well-known LGBTQ+ landmark and nightlife area in Taipei - Abrazo 人...

水逆 shuǐnì - Mercury retrograde 倒楣 dǎoméi - unlucky, unfortunate 摔壞 shuāihuài - to drop and break 之類的 zhī lèi de - and the like, such as 神祕 shénmì - mysterious 天文現象 tiānwén xiànxiàng - astronomical phenomenon 水星 shuǐxīng - Mercury (the planet) 逆襲 nìxí - counterattack, reversal (here referring to retrograde motion) 簡稱 jiǎnchēng - abbreviation, short name 星象 xīngxiàng - astrono...

死刑 sǐ xíng - death penalty 法務部 fǎ wù bù - Ministry of Justice 看守所 kān shǒu suǒ - detention center; prison 執行 zhí xíng - carry out; execute 死刑犯 sǐ xíng fàn - death row inmate 槍決 qiāng jué - execution by shooting 處決 chǔ jué - execute 黃麟凱 huáng lín kǎi - Huang Lin-kai (name of a death row inmate) 判死刑 pàn sǐ xíng - sentence to death 不滿 bù mǎn - dissatisfied 分手 fēn shǒu - bre...

情人節 qíng rén jié - Valentine's Day 景點 jǐng diǎn - tourist attraction, scenic spot 曖昧期 ài mèi qí - ambiguous stage (in a relationship), early dating phase 對方 duì fāng - the other person, counterpart 木柵動物園 mù zhà dòng wù yuán - Taipei Zoo (Muzha Zoo) 熱帶雨林館 rè dài yǔ lín guǎn - Tropical Rainforest House (in the zoo) 貓熊館 māo xióng guǎn - Panda House 無尾熊館 wú wěi xióng guǎ...

2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival 😊 Main Lantern Exhibition Area 02.12-02.23 A18 Taoyuan HSR Station Lights Playground 02.07-02.23 A19 Taoyuan Sports Park Station 元宵節 Yuánxiāo Jié - Lantern Festival 月圓之日 yuèyuán zhī rì - the day of the full moon 月亮 yuèliàng - moon 圓形 yuánxíng - circular shape 元月 yuányuè - first month of the lunar calendar 宵 xiāo - night (archaic usage) 起源 qǐyuán - orig...

禁 jìn - ban; prohibit 法案 fǎ àn - bill; law 禁用 jìn yòng - prohibit the use of 非中國 fēi zhōng guó - non-China; outside of China 營運 yíng yùn - operate; conduct business 獲取 huò qǔ - obtain; acquire 敏感 mǐn gǎn - sensitive 用戶 yòng hù - user 數據 shù jù - data 操縱 cāo zòng - manipulate; control 鬧得很大 nào de hěn dà - cause a big stir; create a lot of commotion 母公司 mǔ gōng sī - parent...

體驗活動 tǐ yàn huó dòng - experiential activity 旗袍 qí páo - cheongsam; traditional Chinese dress 獨特 dú tè - unique 服飾 fú shì - clothing; attire 古色古香 gǔ sè gǔ xiāng - antique; of ancient charm 穿越 chuān yuè - to traverse; time-travel 民國時期 mín guó shí qī - the Republic of China era 漫步 màn bù - to stroll 古蹟 gǔ jì - historical site 文藝 wén yì - artistic; cultural 復古 fù gǔ - retr...

年獸 nián shòu - Nian Beast (a mythical creature associated with Chinese New Year) 怪獸 guài shòu - monster 逃跑 táo pǎo - to escape; to flee 火光 huǒ guāng - firelight 嘈雜 cáo zá - noisy; clamorous 貼 tiē - to stick; to paste 鞭炮 biān pào - firecrackers 互道 hù dào - to exchange (greetings, congratulations, etc.) 恭喜 gōng xǐ - to congratulate; congratulations 戰勝 zhàn shèng - to defeat; to ov...

台灣經濟起飛 tái wān jīng jì qǐ fēi - Taiwan's economic boom 黑手 hēi shǒu - manual laborer, blue-collar worker 頭家 tóu jiā - boss, business owner 比比皆是 bǐ bǐ jiē shì - can be seen everywhere, commonplace 一丁點 yī dīng diǎn - a tiny bit, a small amount 安眠藥 ān mián yào - sleeping pill 經濟下滑 jīng jì xià huá - economic downturn 憂鬱 yōu yù - depression, melancholy 失眠 shī mián - insomnia...

年夜飯 nián yè fàn - New Year's Eve dinner 吉祥 jí xiáng - auspicious; lucky 不可或缺 bù kě huò quē - indispensable; essential 儀式 yí shì - ritual; ceremony 象徵 xiàng zhēng - symbol; to symbolize 一家團圓 yì jiā tuán yuán - family reunion 美好 měi hǎo - beautiful; wonderful 期盼 qí pàn - expectation; hope 圍爐 wéi lú - gathering around the stove (a traditional reunion activity) 餐桌 cān zhuō - d...

聚會 jù huì - gathering; party 瞬間 shùn jiān - moment; instantly 冷下來 lěng xià lái - to cool down; to turn cold (atmosphere) 禁忌 jìn jì - taboo 職業 zhí yè - profession; occupation 破冰 pò bīng - to break the ice (in conversation) 重心 zhòng xīn - focal point; center of gravity 陌生人 mò shēng rén - stranger 股票 gǔ piào - stock (financial investment) 房地產 fáng dì chǎn - real estate 基金 jī...

性格測試 xìng gé cè shì - personality test 類型 lèi xíng - type, category 獨處 dú chǔ - being alone, solitude 充電 chōng diàn - to recharge, to refresh oneself 三思 sān sī - to think thrice, to consider carefully 周遭 zhōu zāo - surroundings, environment 互動 hù dòng - interaction, to interact 不對勁 bú duì jìn - something feels off, unusual 社交 shè jiāo - socializing, social interaction 瞬間 shù...