In Taiwan, you’ll see Traditional Chinese everywhere. Sometimes you’ll also see little symbols next to characters—especially on kids’ materials, some menus, learning posters, and places that want pronunciation to be extra-clear.

Those symbols are Zhuyin (also called Bopomofo). If you can decode them, you can pronounce many sign words confidently—even when you’ve never learned the characters before.

What Zhuyin Is (And Why It Helps With Signs)

注音符號 zhùyīn fúhào is Taiwan’s phonetic system for Mandarin. It’s used in schools, dictionaries, and lots of “learner-friendly” places. When a sign includes Zhuyin, you can:

• sound out the word (even if you don’t know the character yet)
• guess the meaning from context (bathroom, exit, pay here… you know the drill)
• look the word up faster (Zhuyin ordering is common in Taiwan dictionaries)

The 3-Part Formula: Initial + Final + Tone

Most Mandarin syllables are built like this:

Part	What It Does	Zhuyin	Example
Initial	starting sound	ㄅ ㄆ ㄇ ㄈ…	ㄅ = b- in 不 bù (ㄅㄨˋ) — not
Final	main vowel / ending	ㄚ ㄛ ㄜ ㄞ ㄠ ㄢ ㄣ ㄤ ㄥ ㄧ ㄨ ㄩ…	ㄨ = -u in 路 lù (ㄌㄨˋ) — road
Tone	pitch pattern	ˉ ˊ ˇ ˋ (or no mark)	媽 mā (ㄇㄚˉ) vs 馬 mǎ (ㄇㄚˇ)

Quick Tones Cheat Sheet (Memorize This Once)

• ˉ (1st tone) high and steady: 媽 mā (ㄇㄚˉ) — mom
• ˊ (2nd tone) rising: 麻 má (ㄇㄚˊ) — hemp (rare on signs, but the tone exists)
• ˇ (3rd tone) dip: 馬 mǎ (ㄇㄚˇ) — horse
• ˋ (4th tone) sharp falling: 罵 mà (ㄇㄚˋ) — to scold
• (no mark) neutral tone: 嗎 ma (ㄇㄚ) — question particle

Reading tip: In Zhuyin, the tone mark usually appears at the end of the syllable (like ㄅㄠˇ bǎo). First decode the sounds, then check the tone.

The 8 Starter Symbols You’ll Meet First

These are high-frequency initials. Each card shows: Zhuyin → a common sign-ish word (Hanzi + pinyin + Zhuyin) so your brain doesn’t learn symbols in a vacuum.

How To Decode A Syllable In 10 Seconds

Use this micro-checklist:

• Step 1: Spot the initial (first symbol). ㄎ, ㄍ, ㄐ…
• Step 2: Read the final (vowel/ending symbols). ㄧ, ㄨ, ㄩ, ㄢ, ㄥ…
• Step 3: Add the tone mark at the end. ˉ ˊ ˇ ˋ (or none).
• Step 4: Say it out loud once. Your brain locks it in faster.

Mini demo: 爸 bà (ㄅㄚˋ) — ㄅ (b-) + ㄚ (-a) + ˋ (4th tone). One syllable. One victory.

Useful Phrases You’ll Actually See On Signs

Each entry: Hanzi + pinyin + meaning, then a real-life sentence you might hear or read.

• 入口 rùkǒu — entrance
  Example: 入口（ㄖㄨˋ ㄎㄡˇ）在右邊。
  rùkǒu zài yòubiān.
  The entrance is on the right.
• 出口 chūkǒu — exit
  Example: 出口（ㄔㄨ ㄎㄡˇ）在前方。
  chūkǒu zài qiánfāng.
  The exit is ahead.
• 請排隊 qǐng páiduì — please line up
  Example: 請排隊（ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄆㄞˊ ㄉㄨㄟˋ）。
  qǐng páiduì.
  Please line up.
• 請稍候 qǐng shāohòu — please wait a moment
  Example: 請稍候（ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄕㄠ ㄏㄡˋ），馬上就好。
  qǐng shāohòu, mǎshàng jiù hǎo.
  Please wait a moment—almost ready.
• 小心 xiǎoxīn — be careful
  Example: 小心（ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ）地滑。
  xiǎoxīn dì huá.
  Careful—slippery floor.
• 注意 zhùyì — attention / notice
  Example: 注意（ㄓㄨˋ ㄧˋ）台階。
  zhùyì táijiē.
  Watch the steps.
• 禁止 jìnzhǐ — prohibited
  Example: 禁止（ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄓˇ）吸菸。
  jìnzhǐ xīyān.
  No smoking.
• 請勿 qǐngwù — please do not
  Example: 請勿（ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄨˋ）停車。
  qǐngwù tíngchē.
  Please do not park.
• 廁所 cèsuǒ — restroom
  Example: 廁所（ㄘㄜˋ ㄙㄨㄛˇ）在二樓。
  cèsuǒ zài èr lóu.
  The restroom is on the second floor.
• 電梯 diàntī — elevator
  Example: 電梯（ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄧ）在左手邊。
  diàntī zài zuǒshǒubiān.
  The elevator is on the left.
• 樓梯 lóutī — stairs
  Example: 請走樓梯（ㄌㄡˊ ㄊㄧ）。
  qǐng zǒu lóutī.
  Please use the stairs.
• 內用 nèiyòng — dine in
  Example: 這裡可以內用（ㄋㄟˋ ㄩㄥˋ）嗎？
  zhèlǐ kěyǐ nèiyòng ma?
  Can we eat here?
• 外帶 wàidài — takeout
  Example: 我要外帶（ㄨㄞˋ ㄉㄞˋ）。
  wǒ yào wàidài.
  I want takeout.

Common Taiwan Sign Vocabulary (With Real Sentences)

These tables are grouped so you can scan fast. The Zhuyin appears in the Example (ZH) column in parentheses.

Direction And Location

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
入口	rùkǒu	entrance	入口（ㄖㄨˋ ㄎㄡˇ）在右邊。	rùkǒu zài yòubiān.	The entrance is on the right.
出口	chūkǒu	exit	出口（ㄔㄨ ㄎㄡˇ）在前方。	chūkǒu zài qiánfāng.	The exit is ahead.
左轉	zuǒzhuǎn	turn left	前面左轉（ㄗㄨㄛˇ ㄓㄨㄢˇ）。	qiánmiàn zuǒzhuǎn.	Turn left up ahead.
右轉	yòuzhuǎn	turn right	請右轉（ㄧㄡˋ ㄓㄨㄢˇ）。	qǐng yòuzhuǎn.	Please turn right.
直走	zhí zǒu	go straight	直走（ㄓˊ ㄗㄡˇ）就到了。	zhí zǒu jiù dào le.	Go straight and you’ll arrive.
前方	qiánfāng	ahead	前方（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄈㄤ）施工。	qiánfāng shīgōng.	Road work ahead.
後方	hòufāng	behind	出口在後方（ㄏㄡˋ ㄈㄤ）。	chūkǒu zài hòufāng.	The exit is behind you.
這裡	zhèlǐ	here	請在這裡（ㄓㄜˋ ㄌㄧˇ）等。	qǐng zài zhèlǐ děng.	Please wait here.
那裡	nàlǐ	there	廁所在那裡（ㄋㄚˋ ㄌㄧˇ）。	cèsuǒ zài nàlǐ.	The restroom is over there.
地下	dìxià	underground / basement	停車場在地下（ㄉㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ）。	tíngchēchǎng zài dìxià.	The parking lot is underground.
樓上	lóushàng	upstairs	餐廳在樓上（ㄌㄡˊ ㄕㄤˋ）。	cāntīng zài lóushàng.	The restaurant is upstairs.
樓下	lóuxià	downstairs	出口在樓下（ㄌㄡˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ）。	chūkǒu zài lóuxià.	The exit is downstairs.
電梯	diàntī	elevator	電梯（ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄧ）在左邊。	diàntī zài zuǒbiān.	The elevator is on the left.
樓梯	lóutī	stairs	請走樓梯（ㄌㄡˊ ㄊㄧ）。	qǐng zǒu lóutī.	Please use the stairs.
停車場	tíngchēchǎng	parking lot	停車場（ㄊㄧㄥˊ ㄔㄜ ㄔㄤˇ）滿了。	tíngchēchǎng mǎn le.	The parking lot is full.

Rules, Warnings, And Polite “Don’t Do That”

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
禁止	jìnzhǐ	prohibited	禁止（ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄓˇ）吸菸。	jìnzhǐ xīyān.	No smoking.
請勿	qǐngwù	please do not	請勿（ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄨˋ）停車。	qǐngwù tíngchē.	Please do not park.
小心	xiǎoxīn	be careful	小心（ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ）地滑。	xiǎoxīn dì huá.	Careful—slippery floor.
注意	zhùyì	attention / notice	注意（ㄓㄨˋ ㄧˋ）台階。	zhùyì táijiē.	Watch the step.
施工中	shīgōng zhōng	under construction	前方施工中（ㄕ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄓㄨㄥ）。	qiánfāng shīgōng zhōng.	Construction ahead.
勿入	wù rù	do not enter	閒人勿入（ㄨˋ ㄖㄨˋ）。	xiánrén wù rù.	No unauthorized entry.
保持安靜	bǎochí ānjìng	keep quiet	請保持安靜（ㄅㄠˇ ㄔˊ ㄢ ㄐㄧㄥˋ）。	qǐng bǎochí ānjìng.	Please keep quiet.
禁止飲食	jìnzhǐ yǐnshí	no eating/drinking	本區禁止飲食（ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄓˇ ㄧㄣˇ ㄕˊ）。	běn qū jìnzhǐ yǐnshí.	No food or drink in this area.
請排隊	qǐng páiduì	please line up	請排隊（ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄆㄞˊ ㄉㄨㄟˋ）。	qǐng páiduì.	Please line up.
請稍候	qǐng shāohòu	please wait	請稍候（ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄕㄠ ㄏㄡˋ）。	qǐng shāohòu.	Please wait a moment.
滿	mǎn	full	座位已滿（ㄇㄢˇ）。	zuòwèi yǐ mǎn.	No seats available (full).
空	kōng	available / empty	目前有空位（ㄎㄨㄥ ㄨㄟˋ）。	mùqián yǒu kōngwèi.	Seats are available now.

Facilities And Services

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
廁所	cèsuǒ	restroom	廁所（ㄘㄜˋ ㄙㄨㄛˇ）在二樓。	cèsuǒ zài èr lóu.	The restroom is on the second floor.
男廁	náncè	men’s room	男廁（ㄋㄢˊ ㄘㄜˋ）在左邊。	náncè zài zuǒbiān.	Men’s room is on the left.
女廁	nǚcè	women’s room	女廁（ㄋㄩˇ ㄘㄜˋ）在右邊。	nǚcè zài yòubiān.	Women’s room is on the right.
無障礙	wúzhàng’ài	accessible	無障礙（ㄨˊ ㄓㄤˋ ㄞˋ）廁所在這裡。	wúzhàng’ài cèsuǒ zài zhèlǐ.	Accessible restroom is here.
服務台	fúwùtái	service desk	有問題請到服務台（ㄈㄨˊ ㄨˋ ㄊㄞˊ）。	yǒu wèntí qǐng dào fúwùtái.	If you have questions, go to the service desk.
收銀台	shōuyíntái	cashier	請到收銀台（ㄕㄡ ㄧㄣˊ ㄊㄞˊ）結帳。	qǐng dào shōuyíntái jiézhàng.	Please check out at the cashier.
結帳	jiézhàng	to check out / pay	這裡結帳（ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄓㄤˋ）。	zhèlǐ jiézhàng.	Pay here.
付款	fùkuǎn	payment	請先付款（ㄈㄨˋ ㄎㄨㄢˇ）。	qǐng xiān fùkuǎn.	Please pay first.
發票	fāpiào	receipt (Taiwan invoice)	需要發票（ㄈㄚ ㄆㄧㄠˋ）嗎？	xūyào fāpiào ma?	Do you need a receipt?
營業中	yíngyè zhōng	open (in business)	我們今天營業中（ㄧㄥˊ ㄧㄝˋ ㄓㄨㄥ）。	wǒmen jīntiān yíngyè zhōng.	We’re open today.
休息中	xiūxí zhōng	closed / on break	目前休息中（ㄒㄧㄡ ㄒㄧˊ ㄓㄨㄥ）。	mùqián xiūxí zhōng.	Currently closed/on break.
開放	kāifàng	open to the public	展區已開放（ㄎㄞ ㄈㄤˋ）。	zhǎnqū yǐ kāifàng.	The exhibit area is open.
關閉	guānbì	closed (shut)	此門關閉（ㄍㄨㄢ ㄅㄧˋ）。	cǐ mén guānbì.	This door is closed.

Transit And Getting Around

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
捷運	jiéyùn	MRT (metro)	捷運（ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄩㄣˋ）入口在前面。	jiéyùn rùkǒu zài qiánmiàn.	The MRT entrance is ahead.
車站	chēzhàn	station	下一站是台北車站（ㄔㄜ ㄓㄢˋ）。	xià yī zhàn shì Táiběi chēzhàn.	The next stop is Taipei Main Station.
月台	yuètái	platform	請到二號月台（ㄩㄝˋ ㄊㄞˊ）。	qǐng dào èr hào yuètái.	Please go to Platform 2.
售票機	shòupiàojī	ticket machine	售票機（ㄕㄡˋ ㄆㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧ）在右邊。	shòupiàojī zài yòubiān.	The ticket machine is on the right.
票	piào	ticket	請先買票（ㄆㄧㄠˋ）。	qǐng xiān mǎi piào.	Please buy a ticket first.
悠遊卡	yōuyóukǎ	EasyCard	悠遊卡（ㄧㄡ ㄧㄡˊ ㄎㄚˇ）可以加值。	yōuyóukǎ kěyǐ jiāzhí.	You can top up your EasyCard.
公車	gōngchē	bus	公車（ㄍㄨㄥ ㄔㄜ）站在那裡。	gōngchē zhàn zài nàlǐ.	The bus stop is over there.
站牌	zhànpái	bus stop sign	請看站牌（ㄓㄢˋ ㄆㄞˊ）資訊。	qǐng kàn zhànpái zīxùn.	Please check the bus stop information.
計程車	jìchéngchē	taxi	計程車（ㄐㄧˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄔㄜ）招呼站在外面。	jìchéngchē zhāohūzhàn zài wàimiàn.	The taxi stand is outside.
上車	shàngchē	board (a vehicle)	請從前門上車（ㄕㄤˋ ㄔㄜ）。	qǐng cóng qiánmén shàngchē.	Please board from the front door.
下車	xiàchē	get off	下一站下車（ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄔㄜ）。	xià yī zhàn xiàchē.	Get off at the next stop.
出口（號碼）	chūkǒu (hàomǎ)	exit (numbered)	請走三號出口（ㄔㄨ ㄎㄡˇ）。	qǐng zǒu sān hào chūkǒu.	Please take Exit 3.

Food And Shopping Signs

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
菜單	càidān	menu	菜單（ㄘㄞˋ ㄉㄢ）在這裡。	càidān zài zhèlǐ.	The menu is here.
內用	nèiyòng	dine in	內用（ㄋㄟˋ ㄩㄥˋ）請先找位子。	nèiyòng qǐng xiān zhǎo wèizi.	If dining in, find a seat first.
外帶	wàidài	takeout	外帶（ㄨㄞˋ ㄉㄞˋ）在這邊取餐。	wàidài zài zhèbiān qǔcān.	Pick up takeout here.
取餐	qǔcān	pick up food	請到窗口取餐（ㄑㄩˇ ㄘㄢ）。	qǐng dào chuāngkǒu qǔcān.	Please pick up your food at the window.
排隊	páiduì	to line up	排隊（ㄆㄞˊ ㄉㄨㄟˋ）從這裡開始。	páiduì cóng zhèlǐ kāishǐ.	The line starts here.
取號	qǔhào	take a number	請先取號（ㄑㄩˇ ㄏㄠˋ）。	qǐng xiān qǔhào.	Please take a number first.
等候	děnghòu	wait	請在此等候（ㄉㄥˇ ㄏㄡˋ）。	qǐng zài cǐ děnghòu.	Please wait here.
辣	là	spicy	這個很辣（ㄌㄚˋ）。	zhège hěn là.	This is very spicy.
不辣	bù là	not spicy	我要不辣（ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄚˋ）。	wǒ yào bù là.	I want it not spicy.
熱	rè	hot	小心，湯很熱（ㄖㄜˋ）。	xiǎoxīn, tāng hěn rè.	Careful, the soup is hot.
冰	bīng	iced / ice	我要冰的（ㄅㄧㄥ）。	wǒ yào bīng de.	I want it iced.
特價	tèjià	special price	今天特價（ㄊㄜˋ ㄐㄧㄚˋ）。	jīntiān tèjià.	Special price today.
現金	xiànjīn	cash	只收現金（ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄣ）。	zhǐ shōu xiànjīn.	Cash only.
刷卡	shuākǎ	pay by card	可以刷卡（ㄕㄨㄚ ㄎㄚˇ）嗎？	kěyǐ shuākǎ ma?	Can I pay by card?
自助	zìzhù	self-service	這裡是自助（ㄗˋ ㄓㄨˋ）。	zhèlǐ shì zìzhù.	This is self-service.

Fast Practice: Decode These Zhuyin Clues

Try reading the Zhuyin first, then say the pinyin aloud, then check the answer. (Yes, you must make a sound. Whisper counts.)

Practice Set A

1) ㄔㄨ ㄎㄡˇ → 出口 chūkǒu — exit
2) ㄘㄜˋ ㄙㄨㄛˇ → 廁所 cèsuǒ — restroom
3) ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄧ → 電梯 diàntī — elevator
4) ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄓˇ → 禁止 jìnzhǐ — prohibited

Practice Set B

1) ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄨˋ → 請勿 qǐngwù — please do not
2) ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ → 小心 xiǎoxīn — be careful
3) ㄆㄞˊ ㄉㄨㄟˋ → 排隊 páiduì — line up
4) ㄨㄞˋ ㄉㄞˋ → 外帶 wàidài — takeout

Common Beginner Mistakes (And The Fix)

• Mistake: ignoring the tone mark.
  Fix: read the syllable, then add tone last. (Like putting a hat on a finished sandwich.)
• Mistake: mixing up ㄓ/ㄗ or ㄔ/ㄘ or ㄕ/ㄙ.
  Fix: remember: ㄓ ㄔ ㄕ are “retroflex” sounds (tongue curls back a bit). ㄗ ㄘ ㄙ are more “front of mouth.”
• Mistake: seeing ㄩ and saying “you.”
  Fix: ㄩ is like pinyin ü (lips rounded, tongue forward). Practice with 魚 yú (ㄩˊ).

Quick Reference: The Tricky Sound Group

These show up a lot in real words. Each row includes a sign-friendly word and a sentence to lock it in.

Zhuyin	Pinyin Sound	Word (Hanzi)	Word (Pinyin)	Meaning	Mini Sentence (ZH / Pinyin / EN)
ㄓ	zh	直走	zhí zǒu	go straight	直走（ㄓˊ ㄗㄡˇ）。 zhí zǒu. Go straight.
ㄔ	ch	出口	chūkǒu	exit	出口（ㄔㄨ ㄎㄡˇ）在前方。 chūkǒu zài qiánfāng. The exit is ahead.
ㄕ	sh	收銀台	shōuyíntái	cashier	請到收銀台（ㄕㄡ ㄧㄣˊ ㄊㄞˊ）。 qǐng dào shōuyíntái. Please go to the cashier.
ㄖ	r	入口	rùkǒu	entrance	入口（ㄖㄨˋ ㄎㄡˇ）在右邊。 rùkǒu zài yòubiān. The entrance is on the right.
ㄗ	z	左轉	zuǒzhuǎn	turn left	前面左轉（ㄗㄨㄛˇ ㄓㄨㄢˇ）。 qiánmiàn zuǒzhuǎn. Turn left up ahead.
ㄘ	c	廁所	cèsuǒ	restroom	廁所（ㄘㄜˋ ㄙㄨㄛˇ）在二樓。 cèsuǒ zài èr lóu. The restroom is on the second floor.
ㄙ	s	稍候	shāohòu	wait a moment	請稍候（ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄕㄠ ㄏㄡˋ）。 qǐng shāohòu. Please wait a moment.
ㄩ	ü	魚	yú	fish	這個是魚（ㄩˊ）。 zhège shì yú. This is fish.

Want a next-step upgrade? Learn 20 more “daily signage” words and start recognizing characters without needing Zhuyin at all—because your brain loves leveling up when you feed it tiny wins.