Differences Between Taiwanese Mandarin & Standard Chinese Mandarin (Vocabulary)
Taiwan and China both largely speak their own varieties of Mandarin. Though speakers of the two varieties of Mandarin can communicate with no problem, there are some notable differences that are important to remember.
In this video, My Chinese friends and I talked about the difference between Taiwanese Mandarin and Standard Chinese Mandarin. In this episode, we focused on the Vocabulary (word choice) difference. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear our accent is completly different during the chat. Here are the notes. I’ve included pinyin and zhuyin (phonetic system used in Taiwan).
General
Good morning
TW: 早安 zǎo ān
CN: 早上好 zǎo shàng hǎo
Very cool
TW: 很酷 hěn kù
CN: 很牛／牛逼 hěn niú / niú bī
To take a taxi
TW: 坐計程車 zuò jì chéng chē
CN: 打車 dǎ chē
To send a text message
TW: 傳簡訊 chuán jiǎn xùn
CN: 發消息／發信息 fā xiāo xí / fā xìn xí
To contact or get in touch with you
TW: 聯絡你 lián luò nǐ
CN: 聯繫你 lián xì nǐ
We/us
TW: 我們 wǒ men
CN: 咱們 zán men
Email address
TW: 電子信箱 diàn zǐ xìn xiāng
CN: 郵箱 yóu xiāng
Level
TW: 程度 chéng dù
CN: 水平 shuǐ píng
科技 & 網路 Technology & Internet
YouTuber
TW: YouTuber
CN: 博主 bó zhǔ
Internet
TW: 網路 wǎng lù
CN: 互聯網 hù lián wǎng
Netizens
TW: 網友 wǎng yǒu
CN: 網民 wǎng mín
Video
TW: 影片 yǐng piàn
CN: 視頻 shì pín
CD
TW: CD
CN: 光盤 guāng pán
Portable charger
TW: 行動電源 xíng dòng diàn yuán
CN: 充電寶／移動電源 chōng diàn bǎo / yí dòng diàn yuán
Internet cafe
TW: 網咖 wǎng kā
CN: 網吧󠇡 wǎng bā
Instagram
TW: IG (read as individual letters)
CN: Ins (pronounced)
Taxi
TW: 計程車 jì chéng chē
CN: 出租車 chū zū chē
Bus
TW: 公車 gong chē
CN: 公交 gong jiāo
Metro
TW: 捷運 jié yùn
CN: 地鐵 dì tiě
地名 Location Names
Sydney (Australia)
TW: 雪梨 xuě lí
CN: 悉尼 xī ní
New Zealand
TW: 紐西蘭 niǔ xī lán
CN: 新西蘭 xīn xī lán
食物 Food
Instant noodles
TW: 泡麵 pào miàn
CN: 方便麵 fang biàn miàn
Salmon
TW: 鮭魚 guī yú
CN: 三文魚 sān wén yú
Yogurt
TW: 優酪乳 yōu luò rǔ
CN: 酸奶 suān nǎi
Pineapple
TW: 鳳梨 fèng lí
CN: 菠蘿 bō luó
Potato
TW: 馬鈴薯 mǎ líng shǔ
CN: 土豆 tǔ dòu
Sweet potato
TW: 地瓜／番薯 dì guā / fān shǔ
CN: 紅薯 hóng shǔ
These differences may seem minor, yet they can make a big difference in conversation. Understanding the differences between Chinese Mandarin and Taiwanese Mandarin can help diversify your Mandarin capabilities and allow you to communicate well with much more Mandarin speakers!
→ My conversation with two Chinese friends: can we understand each other? https://youtu.be/AueZsuskM88
Cover Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
