Photo: Lisanto 李奕良 (Unsplash License)
About 23 million people live in Taiwan. Almost everyone speaks Mandarin, and more than half also speak Taiwanese Hokkien. · 2 writing systems
Language of Taiwan
Taiwan is a lively island in East Asia, full of friendly people who mostly speak Mandarin Chinese. You might also hear Taiwanese Hokkien and other regional languages here. Each language adds its own special flavor to Taiwan's culture. Let's dive into the wonderful world of languages spoken across this beautiful island!
Test Your Knowledge
About the Script
In Taiwan, people use Traditional Chinese characters, which are detailed and artistic. It takes practice to learn them, but they tell a lot of stories and history.
Script Explorer
Traditional Chinese
A complex character system used for writing Mandarin and other Chinese languages. 20 most common of 2,000+
Bopomofo
A system using special symbols to show how Mandarin sounds, helping kids learn pronunciation.
Phrase Cards
Fun Fact
The Taiwanese language has words and phrases from Japanese, due to historical influences.
Fun Fact
Taiwan began teaching English as a required subject in public elementary schools in 2001, and in 2018 it set a goal to become a bilingual country by 2030.
Cultural Note
In Taiwan, Traditional Chinese characters are cherished for their beauty and long history. Taiwan keeps the older, fuller character shapes, while some other places, such as mainland China and Singapore, use a simpler set called Simplified Chinese.
Vocabulary
While Mandarin is the most common language in Taiwan, most Taiwanese people also speak Taiwanese Hokkien (called Tâi-gí). It grew from the language of Southern Fujian but has its own Taiwanese flavour, with words borrowed from Japanese and from Indigenous Austronesian languages.
