慢慢學 mànmàn xuéTaiwanese school and preschool Mandarin for parents
The Mandarin expat parents need at Taiwanese schools: drop-off and pickup, teachers and classroom talk, homework and exams, uniforms, cram school and school fees — with pinyin.
Most of a parent's Mandarin happens in ninety seconds at the gate. lǎoshī hǎo is how everyone — children and adults — greets a teacher, wǒ lái jiē tā means you're here for pickup, and tā jīntiān qǐngjià is how you report a sick day. Preschools run a shuttle called the wáwa chē, and communication home goes through the liánluò bù, a notebook that travels in the backpack and expects a reply.
Beyond preschool, two words explain most of a Taiwanese child's afternoon. The ānqīnbān is after-school care that supervises homework until parents finish work, and the bǔxíbān is a cram school for a specific subject. Uniforms are standard at most schools, and xiě gōngkè — do your homework — is the single most-used sentence in this deck.
41 phrases for school & preschool
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Hello, teacher! (the standard greeting) | lǎoshī hǎo! | 老師好！ |
| "Little friends" (how teachers address the class) | xiǎopéngyǒu | 小朋友 |
| Go to school. | shàngxué. | 上學。 |
| School's out / pick-up time. | fàngxué. | 放學。 |
| I'm here to pick him/her up. | wǒ lái jiē tā. | 我來接他。 |
| Backpack. | shūbāo. | 書包。 |
| Water bottle. | shuǐhú. | 水壺。 |
| Nap time. | shuì wǔjiào. | 睡午覺。 |
| Snack time. | chī diǎnxīn. | 吃點心。 |
| Wash your hands. | xǐ shǒu. | 洗手。 |
| Line up! | páiduì! | 排隊！ |
| Sit nicely. | zuò hǎo. | 坐好。 |
| Quiet down. | ānjìng. | 安靜。 |
| Put away the toys. | shōu wánjù. | 收玩具。 |
| I need to go potty. | wǒ yào shàng cèsuǒ. | 我要上廁所。 |
| Drawing / to draw. | huàhuà. | 畫畫。 |
| Sing a song. | chàng gē. | 唱歌。 |
| Story time. | jiǎng gùshì. | 講故事。 |
| So well-behaved! | hǎo guāi! | 好乖！ |
| Great job! | hǎo bàng! | 好棒！ |
| You can do it! / keep going! | jiāyóu! | 加油！ |
| The preschool shuttle bus. | wáwa chē. | 娃娃車。 |
| Parent-teacher notebook. | liánluò bù. | 聯絡簿。 |
| He/she is staying home sick today. | tā jīntiān qǐngjià. | 他今天請假。 |
| Give me a hug! | bàobào! | 抱抱！ |
| What grade is he/she in? | jǐ niánjí? | 幾年級？ |
| Elementary school. | xiǎoxué | 小學 |
| Junior high school. | guózhōng | 國中 |
| Senior high school. | gāozhōng | 高中 |
| Do your homework. | xiě gōngkè. | 寫功課。 |
| A test / exam. | kǎoshì | 考試 |
| Grades / results. | chéngjī | 成績 |
| Class is starting. | shàngkè le. | 上課了。 |
| Class is over / break time. | xiàkè le. | 下課了。 |
| School uniform. | zhìfú | 制服 |
| After-school care centre. (very Taiwan) | ānqīnbān | 安親班 |
| Cram school. | bǔxíbān | 補習班 |
| Tuition / school fees. | xuéfèi | 學費 |
| Parent-teacher meeting. | jiāzhǎnghuì | 家長會 |
| Bring a lunch box. | dài biàndāng | 帶便當 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| He/she did great today! | tā jīntiān hěn bàng! | 他今天很棒！ |
Questions people ask
What is an 安親班?
After-school care. Children go there when class ends, get supervised through their homework and often a meal, and are collected later — it's how most working parents bridge the gap between school finishing and work finishing.
What's the difference between 安親班 and 補習班?
An ānqīnbān looks after children and supervises homework; a bǔxíbān teaches a subject — English, maths, music — to improve results. Plenty of children attend both.
What is a 聯絡簿?
The home–school notebook. Teachers write what happened and what's due, parents read and sign it, and it goes back the next day. Check the backpack for it nightly.
How do I tell the school my child is sick?
tā jīntiān qǐngjià — 'he/she is taking leave today'. Most schools now accept this by LINE or phone to the class teacher, plus a note in the liánluò bù when the child returns.
