Learn Trad Chinese

The Chinese language is not just a series of sounds; it’s a gallery of miniature poems. When you learn a word like “Destiny” in English, it’s just a word. When you learn 緣分 (Yuánfèn), you are learning four thousand years of philosophy baked into two elegant characters. Some Chinese words are gorgeous to look at, […]

If you walk through a park in Taipei on a weekend, you won’t hear many people using actual names. Instead, the air is filled with a sugary haze of “Hubby,” “Baby,” and strangely enough, references to internal organs. In Mandarin, 愛稱 (àichēng – terms of endearment) are the secret handshake of intimacy. They signal that

Calling someone by their full name in Taiwan is a bit like wearing a suit to a night market—it’s formal, stiff, and makes everyone feel slightly awkward. To really fit in, you need to master the art of the 綽號 (chuòhào – nickname). Chinese nicknames aren’t just shortened versions of names; they are a complex

If there is one social lubricant that works faster than a cold Taiwan Beer on a humid Taipei night, it’s a well-placed compliment. In Mandarin Chinese, the art of 讚美 (zànměi – complimenting) is about more than just saying nice things; it’s a dance of humility, face-saving, and sincere observation. Whether you want to tell

Some days you need a big speech. Most days you just need the right hello. Everyday Mandarin greetings are tiny keys that unlock shops, elevators, meetings, and friendships. Learn a handful in Traditional Chinese—with pinyin right after—and you can glide through mornings, small talk, and polite exits without breaking conversational ankles. How Greetings Work In

A weekday question unlocks schedules, store hours, and sanity. In Traditional Mandarin, you ask “今天星期幾？” and answer with “今天星期一／二／三….” Taiwan commonly uses three labels for weekdays—星期、週、禮拜—with almost identical meaning. Master the core question, pick a label set, and your calendar conversations get smooth fast. The Core Question (And Natural Variants) 今天星期幾？Jīntiān xīngqí jǐ?What day (of

Mandarin dates are clean and logical: big → medium → small. Write the year first, then the month, then the day. Use the characters 年 (year), 月 (month), 日 or 號 (day). Traditional Chinese in Taiwan also uses 星期／週／禮拜 for weekdays and sometimes the Minguo (民國) year on official forms. Core Format: Year–Month–Day 2025年11月28日èr líng

Tongue twisters are the gym for your mouth: short, chaotic, and strangely addictive. They sharpen tones, clean up similar initials (zh/ch/sh vs. z/c/s), and fix the classic -n/-ng ending blur. Everything below is in Traditional Chinese with pinyin after each line, plus a quick English gloss so the joke doesn’t run away without you. How

A language can be both a kitten and a tiger depending on the angle of approach. Mandarin Chinese fits that paradox perfectly: parts of it are delightfully straightforward for English speakers, while other parts require patient muscle-building. The real answer is neither “impossibly hard” nor “suspiciously easy,” but “strategically learnable.” This guide weighs what helps,

Small phrases rescue big conversations. Two of the most useful in Traditional Mandarin are 我不知道 (Wǒ bù zhīdào) and 我不懂 (Wǒ bù dǒng). One says the information isn’t there; the other says the meaning isn’t there. Learn when to use each, add polite softenings, and switch to precise variants like 我聽不懂 (Wǒ tīng bù dǒng)