Typhoon, earthquake and weather Mandarin for Taiwan
Typhoon days and cancelled work, earthquakes, humidity and cold snaps, power and water outages — the weather Mandarin every Taiwan resident needs, with pinyin and audio.
Two weather words matter more than the rest. táifēng jià is a typhoon day, and tíng bān tíng kè — work and classes cancelled — is the announcement everyone refreshes for, usually made by each city and county government the evening before or early that morning. Because the decision is local, one city can be closed while the next one over is working, which is why the question míngtiān yào shàngbān ma gets asked so often.
Earthquakes are frequent, mostly small, and treated calmly — gānggāng dìzhèn le (that was an earthquake) followed by nǐ yǒu gǎnjué dào ma (did you feel it) is a standard exchange rather than a crisis. The rest of the year is humidity, sudden downpours and the occasional cold snap: dài sǎn (bring an umbrella) is the most practical phrase in this deck.
20 phrases for weather, typhoons & earthquakes
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Typhoon day off. | táifēng jià | 颱風假 |
| Work and school are cancelled. | tíng bān tíng kè | 停班停課 |
| Is there work tomorrow? | míngtiān yào shàngbān ma? | 明天要上班嗎？ |
| Earthquake. | dìzhèn | 地震 |
| That was an earthquake! | gānggāng dìzhèn le! | 剛剛地震了！ |
| Did you feel it? | nǐ yǒu gǎnjué dào ma? | 你有感覺到嗎？ |
| It's pouring. | xià dàyǔ | 下大雨 |
| Bring an umbrella. | dài sǎn | 帶傘 |
| Is it going to rain tomorrow? | míngtiān huì xiàyǔ ma? | 明天會下雨嗎？ |
| It's so muggy. | hǎo mēn | 好悶 |
| The humidity is really high. | shīdù hěn gāo | 濕度很高 |
| The air quality is bad. | kōngqì pǐnzhí bù hǎo | 空氣品質不好 |
| The sun is fierce today. | tàiyáng hěn dà | 太陽很大 |
| It's turned cold. | biàn lěng le | 變冷了 |
| Cold snap. | hánliú | 寒流 |
| Weather forecast. | qìxiàng yùbào | 氣象預報 |
| Flooding. | yānshuǐ | 淹水 |
| Power outage. | tíngdiàn | 停電 |
| Water outage. | tíngshuǐ | 停水 |
| Be careful / take care. | xiǎoxīn | 小心 |
Questions people ask
Who decides if there's a typhoon day?
Local government. Each city and county announces whether work and school are cancelled for its own area, usually the evening before, so check the announcement for where you live and work rather than a national one.
What does 停班停課 mean exactly?
Work stopped and classes stopped — the phrase used when a typhoon day is declared. Sometimes only one applies, and essential services keep running regardless.
What should I do during an earthquake?
The standard advice taught here is drop, cover and hold on — get under something solid, stay away from windows, and wait it out rather than running outside mid-shake.
When is typhoon season?
Broadly summer into autumn, peaking in the warmer months. Outside that, the recurring weather themes are humidity, the spring rains, and short winter cold snaps (hánliú).