Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 台灣話 / 台湾话 | Táiwānhuà | |
| 臺灣話 / 台湾话 | táiwānhuà | |
| 台語 | Táiyǔ | |
| 臺語 / 台语 | táiyǔ | |
| 臺灣閩南語 / 台湾闽南语 | Táiwān mǐnnányǔ | Mainland China |
The terms provided refer to the Taiwanese language. In Taiwan, if you want to ask someone if they speak the language, you would typically use the term 台語. To describe a person from Taiwan, you use 臺灣人 / 台灣人 / 台湾人. If you are speaking in a formal context to describe a person as 'Taiwanese', 台湾人 (Táiwān rén) is a common and straightforward choice. For official contexts regarding nationality, the phrase 台湾籍 (Táiwān jí) is used.
What does it mean word for word?
In the term 台灣話 / 台湾话, the character 話 means speech, language or words, denoting the spoken language of Taiwan. In the term 台語, the character 語 means language.
Which one should you use?
The form 台灣話 / 台湾话 is a descriptive way to say 'Taiwanese language', but the shorter form 台語 is the most common way people refer to the language in daily conversation. 臺灣閩南語 / 台湾闽南语 is a more formal, linguistic designation used to specify that the language is the Taiwanese variety of Southern Min.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 臺灣閩南語 / 台湾闽南语 is a designation used in Mainland China.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
Táiwānhuà
Did you know?
- Because 台語 was primarily a spoken tongue for centuries, it has a long history of being written using 'Pe̍h-ōe-jī', a system based on the Latin alphabet rather than Chinese characters.
- In Taiwan, the use of 台語 versus Mandarin was once a sensitive political issue, and the language was banned in schools for decades during the 'Kuomintang' era.
- The term 國語 / 国语, which literally means 'national language', is used in Taiwan to refer to Mandarin rather than 台語.
Examples in context
- 我有一个台湾朋友，她是台湾人。I have a Taiwanese friend, she is Taiwanese.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “taiwanese” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
