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臺灣 / 台灣
Taiwan for language learners: live, study, travel
Taiwan's main language is Mandarin Chinese (國語), written in Traditional characters. Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, 16 Indigenous languages and Taiwan Sign Language are also national languages; Hokkien is widely heard in the south.
The short answer
Taiwan is a guide for learners who want to live, study or travel there. Main languages: Mandarin with Traditional characters, plus Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka. The page covers practical topics plus the words that help most on the ground.
Capital
Taipei
Population
23.4 million
Official languages
Mandarin (國語); national languages also include Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, 16 Indigenous languages and Taiwan Sign Language
Also spoken
Matsu Min (Eastern Min), Japanese (older generation), Vietnamese and Indonesian (migrant communities)
Scripts
Traditional Chinese
Romanisation
Hanyu Pinyin (official since 2009); Wade-Giles in many names; Zhuyin (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) for learning
Currency
New Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Proficiency test
TOCFL
你好 nǐ hǎo · 台語: 汝好 lí hóHello
謝謝 xièxie · 台語: 多謝 to-siāThank you
Best city to study
Taipei (also Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung)
Learner tip
Learn Zhuyin as well as Pinyin: Taiwanese textbooks, keyboards and children's books use it.
Kungfucius says: Where Traditional characters, bubble tea and 7-Elevens per square metre all set world records.
Festivals & phenomena
Southeast Asia (also markets in China); rare in Japan, Korea and Taiwan shops · Social PracticeArt of HagglingHaggling is normal in many Southeast Asian markets and some Chinese markets, but not in Japan, Korea or most Taiwanese shops, where prices are fixed.Taiwan · Social Trend|Food CultureBinlang Girls 檳榔西施Betel nut beauties (檳榔西施 (槟榔西施)) are young women who sell betel nuts from glass roadside booths in Taiwan, often in revealing outfits, mainly to truck drivers.Taiwan · SubcultureBoy Love (BL) Culture 耽美Boys' love (BL) is fiction about romance between men, born in 1970s Japanese manga. In Chinese it is called 耽美 (dānměi); Taiwan has produced popular BL dramas such as HIStory and We Best Love.Taiwan (Global) · Cuisine/TrendBubble Tea Obsession 珍珠奶茶Bubble tea (珍珠奶茶, zhēnzhū nǎichá) was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s and became a global industry. Two teahouses, Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) and Hanlin (翰林), still dispute who added the tapioca first.Taiwan · Food Culture|TourismCat Cafes 貓咪咖啡館 (猫咪咖啡馆)The world's first cat café, Cat Flower Garden (貓花園), opened in Taipei in 1998. The idea spread to Japan from 2004 and then worldwide.Taiwan · SubcultureCosplay in Taiwan 角色扮演Cosplay is big in Taiwan, with crowds at events such as Fancy Frontier (開拓動漫祭) and many cosplayers at the Taipei Game Show. Locals usually just say 'COS'.China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and other Chinese communities · FestivalDragon Boat Festival 端午節 (端午节)The Dragon Boat Festival (端午節) falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, with dragon boat races and zongzi (粽子) rice dumplings, traditionally commemorating the poet Qu Yuan.Taiwan · Performance/RitualFuneral Pole Dancing 電子花車 (电子花车)In parts of Taiwan, funeral processions may hire 'electric flower cars' (電子花車): neon-lit trucks with a stage where dancers, sometimes scantily clad, perform to draw a crowd and give the deceased a lively send-off.Taiwan · Festival|CustomGods from one temple visiting gods of a different temple 遶境In Taiwanese folk religion, deities are carried in processions (遶境) through their districts and on pilgrimages (進香) to other temples. The Dajia Mazu procession covers about 340 km over nine days.Taiwan · Travel Trend|CustomHuandao 環島 (环岛)Huándǎo (環島) means going around Taiwan, by bike, scooter or train. The roughly 900 to 1,000 km cycling loop became a rite of passage after the 2007 film Island Etude (練習曲).Taiwan · Social Gathering|EntertainmentKTV KTV (卡拉OK)KTV is Taiwan's private-room karaoke, open late with food menus and huge song lists. Chains such as Party World (錢櫃) and Holiday KTV (好樂迪) are a staple of birthdays and work outings.Taiwan · Festival|CustomLantern Flying 放天燈Releasing sky lanterns (放天燈) is a Pingxi (平溪) tradition in New Taipei, said to date from the 19th century when villagers signalled safety. The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is held around the Lantern Festival.Taiwan · Social Event|AdvocacyLGBTQ+ Pride in Taiwan 臺灣同志遊行 (台湾同志游行)Taiwan Pride (臺灣同志遊行) in Taipei, held every October since 2003, is the largest Pride parade in East Asia. Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage on 24 May 2019, the first in Asia.Taiwan · Food Culture|Social GatheringNight Markets 夜市Night markets (夜市, yèshì) are Taiwan's open-air evening food streets, selling street snacks, games and cheap goods. Shilin, Raohe and Fengjia are the famous ones.Taiwan/China · Social NormThe Art of Queueing (or Not) 排隊 (排队)Queueing (排隊, páiduì) in Taiwan and China varies: Taipei metro platforms are famously orderly, while crowding still happens in some settings in mainland China. Habits have changed fast with urbanisation.Taiwan/Vietnam · Transportation/LifestyleThe Scooter Life 機車 (机车)Scooters (機車, jīchē) are the default transport in Taiwan and Vietnam. Taiwan has around 14 million registered scooters for 23 million people, and Vietnam's cities run on motorbikes.Taiwan/Philippines/Japan · Social PracticeTyphoon Survival 颱風 (台风)In Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan, typhoons are a seasonal routine: people stock up on instant noodles, tape windows and wait to see whether the local government will declare a typhoon day off (颱風假).
Hot springs
Taiwan · Yuli TownshipAntong Hot Springs 安通溫泉Antong Hot Springs (安通溫泉) is a quiet East Rift Valley hot spring with a Japanese-era bath house turned hotel.🌡 66°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Liugui DistrictBaolai Hot Springs 寶來溫泉Baolai Hot Springs (寶來溫泉) is a mountain hot spring village on the Southern Cross-Island Highway in Kaohsiung.🌡 40-50°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Beitou DistrictBeitou Hot Springs 北投溫泉Beitou Hot Springs (北投溫泉) is Taipei's hot spring district at the end of the MRT, developed under Japanese rule, with green and white sulphur springs and the Beitou Hot Spring Museum.🌡 37-45°C · Tattoos: Generally yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Xinyi TownshipDongpu Hot Spring 東埔溫泉Dongpu Hot Spring (東埔溫泉) is a mountain hot spring village at the trailhead area of Yushan National Park, in Bunun country.🌡 50°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Baihe DistrictGuanziling Hot Springs 關子嶺溫泉Guanziling Hot Springs (關子嶺溫泉) is famous as one of the world's rare mud hot springs, with grey, silty water, in the hills of Tainan.🌡 75°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Heping DistrictGuguan Hot Springs 谷關溫泉Guguan Hot Springs (谷關溫泉) is a mountain hot spring area in central Taiwan along the Dajia River, developed in the Japanese era.🌡 48-60°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Jiaoxi TownshipJiaoxi Hot Springs 礁溪溫泉Jiaoxi Hot Springs (礁溪溫泉) is a flatland hot spring town in Yilan, unusual for springs that emerge on the plain, with free public foot baths at Tangweigou.🌡 50-60°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Jinshan DistrictJinshan Hot Springs 金山溫泉Jinshan Hot Springs (金山溫泉) is a north coast hot spring town with sulphur, iron, carbonate and seawater springs.🌡 45-86°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Haiduan TownshipLisong Hot Spring 栗松溫泉Lisong Hot Spring (栗松溫泉) is a remote wild hot spring off the Southern Cross-Island Highway, known for waterfalls over multicoloured mineral-stained rock.🌡 45-65°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Mixed-genderMap ↗
Taiwan · Wanrong Township (near Ruisui)Ruisui Hot Springs 瑞穗溫泉Ruisui Hot Springs (瑞穗溫泉) is a rural hot spring in the East Rift Valley with yellow, iron-rich carbonated water.🌡 48°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Checheng TownshipSichongxi Hot Springs 四重溪溫泉Sichongxi Hot Springs (四重溪溫泉) is a small hot spring village near Kenting, counted among Taiwan's four great hot springs of the Japanese era.🌡 50-80°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Su'ao TownshipSu'ao Cold Springs 蘇澳冷泉Su'ao Cold Springs (蘇澳冷泉) is one of the world's rare carbonated cold springs (around 22°C), in Su'ao town in Yilan.🌡 22°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Tai'an TownshipTai'an Hot Springs 泰安溫泉Tai'an Hot Springs (泰安溫泉) is a mountain hot spring area in Miaoli developed from a Japanese-era police rest station, with clear alkaline water.🌡 47°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Xiulin TownshipWenshan Hot Spring 文山溫泉Wenshan Hot Spring (文山溫泉) is a riverside hot spring in Taroko Gorge, closed for years after rockfalls and further damaged by the April 2024 Hualien earthquake.🌡 40°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Mixed-genderMap ↗
Taiwan · Wulai DistrictWulai Hot Springs 烏來溫泉Wulai Hot Springs (烏來溫泉) is a riverside hot spring village in the Atayal Indigenous area south of Taipei, with free riverside pools and spa hotels.🌡 80°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Beitou/Shilin DistrictsYangmingshan Hot Springs 陽明山溫泉Yangmingshan Hot Springs (陽明山溫泉) is a group of sulphur spring areas in Yangmingshan National Park on Taipei's volcanic northern edge.🌡 40-75°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Taiwan · Beinan TownshipZhiben Hot Springs 知本溫泉Zhiben Hot Springs (知本溫泉) is one of Taiwan's best-known hot spring areas, in a forested valley near Taitung City.🌡 45-100°C · Tattoos: Yes · Mixed: Both options availableMap ↗
Events and festivals
Taiwan · culture & traditionPingxi Sky Lantern FestivalMass releases of paper sky lanterns in the Pingxi valley; in 2026 there were two sessions, at Pingxi Junior High School and at Shifen Sky Lantern Square, each with nine release waves.annual, usually two evening sessions around the Lantern Festival (15th day of the 1st lunar month, February or early March)Taiwan · languageTaipei International Book ExhibitionTaipei International Book Exhibition 2027, 16 to 21 February 2027 at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, with Czechia as Guest of Honour.Next: 2027-02-16 to 2027-02-21Taiwan · languageAsiaglotThird edition of the Taipei multilingual festival, with talks, workshops and language exchange focused on Asian and Taiwanese languages, on 26 to 28 March 2027.Next: 2027-03-26 to 2027-03-28Taiwan · culture & traditionTaiwan Lantern FestivalNational lantern exhibition with a main zodiac lantern, large lantern installations and light shows, hosted by a different city or county each year.Next: 2027-02-20 to 2027-03-07Taiwan · culture & traditionYanshui Beehive Fireworks FestivalTwo-night folk event in Yanshui District, Tainan, in which racks of bottle rockets ('beehives') are fired into the crowd during a Lantern Festival procession; it has more than 100 years of history.Next: 2027-02-19 to 2027-02-20Taiwan · culture & traditionDajia Mazu PilgrimageProcession on foot of about 340 km in which the Mazu statue of Dajia Jenn Lann Temple is carried through Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi and back, accompanied by very large crowds of worshippers.annual, nine days and eight nights in the 3rd lunar month (usually April); the departure date is set by divination at the temple on the Lantern FestivalTaiwan · digital nomadTaiwan Digital FestFestival for digital nomads and remote workers with coworking days, talks, workshops and excursions; the 2026 edition offered more than 80 events at over 60 venues in Taitung.Next: 2027-04-19 to 2027-05-31Taiwan · sportTaipei International Dragon Boat ChampionshipsDragon boat races on the Keelung River at Dajia Riverside Park in Taipei, held over the Dragon Boat Festival holiday with local and international crews.annual, three days around the Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of the 5th lunar month, late May or June)Taiwan · culture & traditionMid-Autumn FestivalPublic holiday in Taiwan marked by moon viewing, mooncakes and pomelos; since the 1980s families and friends also hold outdoor barbecues, a custom widely attributed to barbecue-sauce advertising campaigns.Next: 2027-09-15Taiwan · digital nomadFar Far Away FestivalFestival on the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern tip of Taiwan that combines music, outdoor activities, workshops and local culture. The 2026 edition is presented as a week-long international workation festival for digital nomads and remote workers.Next: 2026-12-01 to 2026-12-07Taiwan · pride & communityTaipei PridePride march through central Taipei starting and ending at Taipei City Hall Plaza; the 24th edition took place in 2026 and it is regarded as the largest Pride event in East Asia.annual, usually the last Saturday of OctoberTaiwan · food & drinkTaipei International Wine & Spirits FestivalWine, whisky, sake and spirits fair with tastings and sales, held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2 in November.Next: 2027-04-23 to 2027-04-26Taiwan · food & drinkTaiwan International Coffee ShowTrade and consumer coffee exhibition at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1, with roasters, equipment suppliers and barista competitions.Next: 2027-11-12 to 2027-11-15Taiwan · food & drinkTaiwan International Tea ExpoTea trade and consumer exhibition at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1, covering Taiwanese and imported teas, teaware and processing equipment.Next: 2027-11-12 to 2027-11-15