慢慢學 mànmàn xuéGetting around Taiwan in Mandarin
MRT, EasyCard, taxis, buses and scooter life: direction phrases, card top-ups, and filling up at the gas station — Taiwanese Mandarin with pinyin and audio practice.
One card does most of the work. An EasyCard (Yōuyóu kǎ) taps you onto the MRT, buses, some trains, YouBikes, and plenty of shop counters, and you top it up (jiāzhí) at station machines or at any convenience store by handing it over with cash. Announcements on the MRT are in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and English, so the metro is the gentlest place to start listening.
Buses are where it gets local: depending on the route you tap on boarding, on alighting, or both, and the driver or a sign by the door tells you which. Taxis are plentiful and metered, but many drivers don't speak English — having your destination in characters on your phone solves this instantly, and zhèlǐ tíng, xièxiè gets you out at the right spot.
27 phrases for getting around
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| MRT / metro. | jiéyùn. | 捷運。 |
| EasyCard. | Yōuyóu kǎ. | 悠遊卡。 |
| Top up (my card). | jiāzhí. | 加值。 |
| City bus. | gōngchē. | 公車。 |
| Train. | huǒchē. | 火車。 |
| High Speed Rail. | gāotiě. | 高鐵。 |
| Taxi. | jìchéngchē. | 計程車。 |
| I want to go to … | wǒ yào qù … | 我要去…… |
| Where's the station? | chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ? | 車站在哪裡？ |
| Turn right. | yòu zhuǎn. | 右轉。 |
| Turn left. | zuǒ zhuǎn. | 左轉。 |
| Go straight. | zhí zǒu. | 直走。 |
| Stop here, thanks. | zhèlǐ tíng, xièxiè. | 這裡停，謝謝。 |
| We've arrived. | dào le. | 到了。 |
| How far is it? | duō yuǎn? | 多遠？ |
| Walk / on foot. | zǒulù. | 走路。 |
| Traffic jam. | sāichē. | 塞車。 |
| Traffic light. | hónglǜdēng. | 紅綠燈。 |
| Cross the street. | guò mǎlù. | 過馬路。 |
| Next stop. | xià yí zhàn. | 下一站。 |
| I want to get off! (bus) | wǒ yào xiàchē! | 我要下車！ |
| Gas station. | jiāyóuzhàn. | 加油站。 |
| Fill it up with 95. (scooter life) | jiǔwǔ jiāmǎn. | 九五加滿。 |
| Helmet. | ānquánmào. | 安全帽。 |
| Slow down a bit. | màn yìdiǎn. | 慢一點。 |
What you'll hear back
The other half of the conversation — what the vendor, clerk or nurse says to you. Understanding these is usually harder than speaking.
| What they say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Where to? | yào qù nǎlǐ? | 要去哪裡？ |
| EasyCard or cash? | Yōuyóu kǎ háishì xiànjīn? | 悠遊卡還是現金？ |
Questions people ask
Do I tap my EasyCard when getting on or off the bus?
It depends on the route, and on longer routes you tap both. Watch for the sign by the driver or follow the person in front — the driver will tell you if you get it wrong, usually kindly.
Where can I top up an EasyCard?
MRT station machines and any convenience store. At a counter, hand the card over with cash and say jiāzhí, followed by the amount if you want a specific one.
Do taxi drivers speak English?
Often not. Show the destination in Chinese characters on your phone rather than reading it aloud, and use zhèlǐ tíng, xièxiè when you want to be let out.
Can I use an EasyCard in a taxi?
Many taxis accept it and display a sticker, but not all. Asking Yōuyóu kǎ kěyǐ ma before you set off avoids a scramble for cash at the end.
