From bakeries and cocktail menus to dance studios and football chatter, Spanish slips into Traditional Chinese more often than you’d think. This guide rounds up high-frequency items you’ll actually see in Taiwan—food and drinks, music and dance, place names, and everyday culture—with Traditional Chinese first, pinyin right after, and a clean English gloss. Where a word ultimately comes from Indigenous American languages (like Nahuatl) but spread via Spanish, that path is noted.
How Spanish Travels Into Chinese
音譯（sound-based loan）
例：探戈 tàn gē — tango；桑格利亞 sāng gé lì yà — sangria
意譯（meaning-based loan）
例：西班牙海鮮燉飯 xī bān yá hǎi xiān dùn fàn — paella (descriptive name alongside the transliteration)
文化路徑（via Spanish into global use）
例：巧克力 qiǎo kè lì — chocolate（源自納瓦特語 Nahuatl，经西語傳播）
Food Words You’ll Meet First
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
| 巧克力 | qiǎo kè lì | chocolate | Via Spanish “chocolate” ← Nahuatl |
| 可可（粉） | kě kě (fěn) | cacao / cocoa (powder) | Via Spanish “cacao” ← Nahuatl |
| 酪梨 | luò lí | avocado | Taiwan term; fruit known via Spanish “aguacate” route |
| 莎莎醬 | shā shā jiàng | salsa | Often just “莎莎” on menus |
| 吉拿棒 | jí ná bàng | churros | Street/fair favorite |
| 帕埃利亞（西班牙海鮮燉飯） | pà āi lì yà / xī bān yá hǎi xiān dùn fàn | paella | Both forms appear |
| 塔帕斯（西班牙小吃） | tǎ pà sī / xī bān yá xiǎo chī | tapas | Bars, wine lists |
| 墨西哥薄餅（玉米餅） | mò xī gē báo bǐng / yù mǐ bǐng | tortilla | “墨西哥” used broadly |
| 捲餅（墨西哥捲餅） | juǎn bǐng (mò xī gē juǎn bǐng) | burrito | Descriptive + country tag |
Example
我要一份帕埃利亞，莎莎醬可以另外放嗎
wǒ yào yí fèn pà āi lì yà, shā shā jiàng kě yǐ lìng wài fàng ma
I’ll have the paella—can you put the salsa on the side
Drinks You’ll See On Menus
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
| 桑格利亞（汽酒） | sāng gé lì yà (qì jiǔ) | sangria | Red/white versions |
| 莫吉托 | mò jí tuō | mojito | Cuban classic (Spanish name) |
| 瑪格麗塔 | mǎ gé lì tǎ | margarita | Tequila + lime rim |
| 龍舌蘭酒／特基拉 | lóng shé lán jiǔ / tè jī lā | tequila | Both terms appear |
| 皮斯可 | pí sī kě | pisco | Peru/Chile brandy, Spanish name |
Mini lines
請問有桑格利亞嗎，兩杯就好。
qǐng wèn yǒu sāng gé lì yà ma, liǎng bēi jiù hǎo
Do you have sangria? Two glasses, please.
龍舌蘭酒要鹽與檸檬嗎
lóng shé lán jiǔ yào yán yǔ níng méng ma
Do you want salt and lime with the tequila
Music, Dance, And Culture
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
| 探戈 | tàn gē | tango | Ballroom/Argentine styles |
| 佛朗明哥（舞） | fó lǎng míng gē (wǔ) | flamenco | Also seen as 弗拉明戈 |
| 布萊梅（西）音樂 | bù lái méi (xī) yīn yuè | bolero | Sometimes 玻列羅 bō liè luó |
| 披索（貨幣） | pī suǒ | peso | Currency name |
| 嘉年華（狂歡節） | jiā nián huá / kuáng huān jié | carnival | Spanish-speaking world events |
Example
她學佛朗明哥三年了，節奏掌握得很好。
tā xué fó lǎng míng gē sān nián le, jié zòu zhǎng wò de hěn hǎo
She’s studied flamenco for three years—great sense of rhythm.
Sports & Pop Talk
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
| 蒂基塔卡 | dì jī tǎ kǎ | tiki-taka | Football passing style |
| 超級德比 | chāo jí dé bǐ | El Clásico (descriptive) | 巴塞隆納 vs. 皇家馬德里 |
| 拉瑪西亞 | lā mǎ xī yà | La Masia | Barça academy name |
Mini line
今晚是巴塞隆納對馬德里，傳控打法超像蒂基塔卡。
jīn wǎn shì bā sài lóng nà duì mǎ dé lǐ, chuán kòng dǎ fǎ chāo xiàng dì jī tǎ kǎ
Barça vs. Madrid tonight—the passing game is pure tiki-taka.
Place Names You’ll Hear A Lot
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 西班牙 | xī bān yá | Spain |
| 巴塞隆納 | bā sài lóng nà | Barcelona |
| 馬德里 | mǎ dé lǐ | Madrid |
| 瓦倫西亞 | wǎ lún xī yà | Valencia |
| 安達盧西亞 | ān dá lú xī yà | Andalucía |
| 墨西哥 | mò xī gē | Mexico |
| 秘魯 | bì lǔ | Peru |
| 智利 | zhì lì | Chile |
| 阿根廷 | ā gēn tíng | Argentina |
| 哥倫比亞 | gē lún bǐ yà | Colombia |
Example
我最想去安達盧西亞看佛朗明哥表演。
wǒ zuì xiǎng qù ān dá lú xī yà kàn fó lǎng míng gē biǎo yǎn
I most want to see flamenco in Andalucía.
Everyday Borrowings & “Via Spanish” Etymology
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English | Path |
| 番茄 | fān qié | tomato | Spread globally via Spanish/Portuguese trade |
| 辣椒 | là jiāo | chili pepper | From the Americas via Spanish |
| 巧克力 | qiǎo kè lì | chocolate | Nahuatl → Spanish → world |
| 香草（香莢蘭） | xiāng cǎo (xiāng jiá lán) | vanilla | Spanish/colonial route term |
| 鱷梨／酪梨 | è lí / luò lí | avocado | Nahuatl → Spanish → Asia |
Note
雖然中文形式不是西語音譯，但大量食材與名稱是透過西語世界傳播、才被中文廣泛認識與使用。
Mini Dialogues（Copy-Ready）
A：這家有塔帕斯嗎，想點幾道下酒菜。
A: zhè jiā yǒu tǎ pà sī ma, xiǎng diǎn jǐ dào xià jiǔ cài
Do they serve tapas? I’d like a few small plates with drinks.
B：有，還可以加點桑格利亞。
B: yǒu, hái kě yǐ jiā diǎn sāng gé lì yà
Yes—and you can add sangria.
A：酪梨要熟一點的，做莎莎醬比較好吃。
A: luò lí yào shú yì diǎn de, zuò shā shā jiàng bǐ jiào hǎo chī
I need ripe avocados—better for salsa.
B：好的，我幫你挑軟一點的。
B: hǎo de, wǒ bāng nǐ tiāo ruǎn yì diǎn de
Sure—I’ll pick softer ones.
Quick Reference（Copy-Friendly）
| Need | Phrase (Trad + Pinyin) |
| sangria | 桑格利亞 sāng gé lì yà |
| mojito | 莫吉托 mò jí tuō |
| margarita | 瑪格麗塔 mǎ gé lì tǎ |
| tequila | 龍舌蘭酒 lóng shé lán jiǔ / 特基拉 tè jī lā |
| churros | 吉拿棒 jí ná bàng |
| salsa | 莎莎醬 shā shā jiàng |
| paella | 帕埃利亞 pà āi lì yà／西班牙海鮮燉飯 |
| tapas | 塔帕斯 tǎ pà sī／西班牙小吃 |
| avocado | 酪梨 luò lí |
| chocolate | 巧克力 qiǎo kè lì |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
朗讀三樣「酒＋小吃」點單：桑格利亞＋塔帕斯兩道＋吉拿棒作甜點。
寫兩句餐廳對話：問有沒有帕埃利亞、可否少鹽。
錄一段二十秒旅遊願望清單：安達盧西亞、巴塞隆納、馬德里各做什麼。
做一張小卡片：把“酪梨、莎莎醬、巧克力、莫吉托”抄一遍（含拼音），明天複誦。
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Spanish loanwords in Chinese are a shortcut to tasty nights and lively chats. Learn a dozen stars—帕埃利亞、塔帕斯、桑格利亞、探戈、佛朗明哥、酪梨—and your Traditional Chinese will glide from the tapas bar to the dance floor with confidence, flavor, and just the right swirl of lime and rhythm.