Mandarin Survival Sheet for Daily Life in Taiwan

Instant download • 22 pages

Made with our friends at Mandarin Zest, this is the phrase sheet we wish we'd had before moving to Taiwan — built around what actually comes up day to day, not what a textbook thinks you need.

It covers over 200 phrases across ten categories:

• The Basics — everyday greetings, politeness, and the five phrases that will save you in almost any situation
• Food and Eating — restaurant ordering, breakfast shop essentials, and a full bubble tea section (because your sugar and ice levels matter)
• Getting Around — MRT, bus, taxi, and directions for when you inevitably get turned around
• Shopping and Money — market haggling, payment phrases, and prices
• Accommodation — landlord conversations about rent, repairs, and deposits
• Convenience Stores — the phrases behind almost every daily errand, from EasyCard top-ups to package pickups
• Healthcare — describing how you feel and finding what you need at a clinic or pharmacy
• Social Situations — small talk and the questions that turn strangers into friends (Line ID included)
• Emergencies — just-in-case phrases and Taiwan's emergency numbers
• Taiwan-Specific Situations — typhoon days, ARC paperwork, tax receipts, and the other things unique to island life

Everything is in Traditional Chinese with Pinyin, geared toward real spoken Mandarin rather than formal textbook phrases. Save it to your phone, keep it in your back pocket, and stop pointing at menus.