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Useful Phrases in Taiwan
Hello, numbers, days of the week, colors, and more in the languages of Taiwan.
Mandarin
Useful phrases and vocabulary.
Colors
| English | Local | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Black | heise | hey |
| Blue | lanse | lawn |
| Green | lyuse | lyu |
| Orange | ch'engse | chen+g |
| Pink | t'aohungse | towel hone+g |
| Purple | tzuse | dz |
| Red | hungse | hone+g |
| White | paise | buy suh |
| Yellow | huangse | h+wong |
Days
| English | Local | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | hsing-ch'i t'ien | she+ing chee tea+en |
| Monday | hsing-ch'i i | she+ing chee ee |
| Tuesday | hsing-ch'i erh | — |
| Wednesday | hsing-ch'i san | — |
| Thursday | hsing-ch'i ssu | — |
| Friday | hsing-ch'i wu | — |
| Saturday | hsing-ch'i liu | — |
Greeting
| English | Local | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak Chinese | Ni hui shuo zhongwen ma? | nee hw + ey in hey sh+whoa and joe+ng and won and ma |
| Do you speak English? | Ni hui shuo yingwen ma? | knee hw + ey in hey sh + whoa ing won ma |
| Excuse me | Dui bu qi | dw + the ey sound in hey and boo and chee |
| Fine / Good | Hao | how |
| Good afternoon | wu an | the oo sound in you and on |
| Good afternoon | xia wu hao | she+awe and the oo sound in you and how |
| Good evening | wan shang hao | won from won-ton and shawn+g and how |
| Good morning | Zao an | ts+ow on |
| Good morning | Zao shang hao | ts+ow shawn+ng how |
| Good night | wan an | the won in won-ton and on add a ts sound + I for ts-I and jen as in the name Jen |
| Goodbye | Zai jian | add a ts sound + I for ts-I and jen as in the name Jen |
| Happy birthday | Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le | jew knee sheng rrr kw+I le |
| Happy Birthday | zhu ni sheng ri kuai le | — |
| Happy New Year! | Hsin nien k'uai le! | sheen knee+ en in end and k+ why and le |
| Hello | Ni hao | knee how |
| How are you? | ni hao ma | knee how ma |
| I'm pleased to meet you | Hen kaohsing renshih ni | hun g+ow she+ing run sure knee |
| I'm pleased to meet you | Hen gaoxing renshi ni | hun g+ow she+ing run sure knee |
| Merry Christmas | Sheng Dankuai Le | — |
| Please | ch'ing | chee + ng |
| Please | qing | chee + ng |
| Thank you | hsieh-hsieh | she+uh (said twice) |
| Thank you | xie xie | she+uh (said twice) |
| Welcome | huan ying | hw+ on ee+ing |
| What is your name? | Nin kuei hsing? | knee+n g+ eigh in eight and she+ing |
| Yes / No | shih/pu | sure / bu |
| Yes / No | shi/ bu | sure / bu |
Months
| English | Local | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| January | i yueh | ee yweah |
| February | erh yueh | — |
| March | san yueh | — |
| April | ssu yeah | — |
| May | wu yueh | — |
| June | liu yueh | — |
| July | ch'i yueh | — |
| August | pa yueh | — |
| September | chiu yueh | — |
| October | shih yueh | — |
| November | shih i yueh | — |
| December | shih erh yueh | — |
Numbers
| English | Local | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| one | i | ee |
| two | erh | are |
| three | san | s + on |
| four | ssu | sz |
| five | wu | oo |
| six | liu | lee+yo |
| seven | ch'i | chee |
| eight | pa | baa |
| nine | chiu | jee+yo |
| ten | shih | sure |
| fifty | wushih | — |
| one hundred | i pai | buy |
| five hundred | wu pai | — |
| one thousand | i ch' ien | chee+yen |
Seasons
| English | Local | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | tong t'ien | doong tea+en |
| Spring | ch'un t'ien | chw+oo+n |
| Summer | hsia t'ien | she+ah |
| Fall | ch'ou t'ien | ch+oh |