Traditional market Mandarin phrases for Taiwan
Shop the Taiwanese wet market in Mandarin: calling the vendor, buying by the jin and liang, asking for a better price, and produce, meat and fish — with pinyin and audio practice.
The morning market runs on two things you won't find in a supermarket: weight in jīn and a relationship with the person selling. A jīn is 600 grams — not a pound — and it splits into sixteen liǎng of 37.5 grams each, so yì jīn duōshǎo qián is the question that starts every transaction. Address the vendor as lǎobǎn or lǎobǎnniáng; using their title rather than nothing at all changes how the next two minutes go.
Bargaining exists but it's gentle. piányí yìdiǎn said with a smile at the end of a decent-sized order is normal; grinding someone down over ten dollars is not. Bring cash and small notes — most stalls can't take cards and a thousand-dollar bill first thing in the morning is genuinely awkward. Buy vegetables from someone twice and you'll start getting free spring onions thrown in.
26 phrases for traditional market
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Boss / sir (how you address a male vendor) | lǎobǎn | 老闆 |
| Ma'am (how you address a female vendor) | lǎobǎnniáng | 老闆娘 |
| How much per jin (600g)? | yì jīn duōshǎo qián? | 一斤多少錢？ |
| How do you sell this? | zhège zěnme mài? | 這個怎麼賣？ |
| I'll take half a jin. | wǒ yào bàn jīn. | 我要半斤。 |
| One liang (37.5g) is enough. | yì liǎng jiù hǎo. | 一兩就好。 |
| Is it fresh? | xīnxiān ma? | 新鮮嗎？ |
| Is this today's? | jīntiān de ma? | 今天的嗎？ |
| Make it a bit cheaper! | piányí yìdiǎn la! | 便宜一點啦！ |
| Could you throw in some scallions? | kěyǐ sòng cōng ma? | 可以送蔥嗎？ |
| Can I pick them out myself? | wǒ kěyǐ zìjǐ tiāo ma? | 我可以自己挑嗎？ |
| I'll take these. | wǒ yào zhèxiē. | 我要這些。 |
| A bit less, thanks. | shǎo yìdiǎn, xièxiè. | 少一點，謝謝。 |
| Leafy greens / vegetables. | qīngcài | 青菜 |
| Cabbage. (on every Taiwanese table) | gāolìcài | 高麗菜 |
| Pork. | zhūròu | 豬肉 |
| Chicken. | jīròu | 雞肉 |
| Could you clean this fish for me? | zhè tiáo yú kěyǐ bāng wǒ chǔlǐ ma? | 這條魚可以幫我處理嗎？ |
| Fruit. | shuǐguǒ | 水果 |
| Is it sweet? | tián bù tián? | 甜不甜？ |
| Can you break a 1000 (bill)? | yìqiān zhǎo de kāi ma? | 一千找得開嗎？ |
| How much altogether? | zǒnggòng duōshǎo qián? | 總共多少錢？ |
| Please bag it for me. | bāng wǒ zhuāng dài, xièxiè. | 幫我裝袋，謝謝。 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I'll give you a deal. | suàn nǐ piányí. | 算你便宜。 |
| Come again next time! | xiàcì zài lái! | 下次再來！ |
| Want a bit more? | yào bú yào zài duō yìdiǎn? | 要不要再多一點？ |
Questions people ask
How much is a jin?
600 grams, divided into 16 liǎng of 37.5 grams. It's the default unit at markets, so prices that look cheap next to supermarket kilos usually aren't once you convert.
Can I pay by card at a traditional market?
Assume not. Some stalls take mobile payments now, but cash — and small notes — is what keeps things moving.
Is haggling expected?
Mildly. piányí yìdiǎn or suàn piányí yìdiǎn on a reasonable order is friendly and often works; pushing hard is not the local style and won't help you next week.
What time should I go?
Morning. Traditional markets are at their best early and many stalls pack up around midday, which is why you'll also hear them called morning markets.