Mandarin for the office in Taiwan
Colleagues and meetings, clocking off, overtime, annual leave and the year-end party — workplace Mandarin as it's actually spoken in Taiwan, with pinyin and audio.
Taiwanese office Mandarin is short, polite and repetitive, which makes it easy to learn. xīnkǔ le — 'you've worked hard' — is said constantly: to someone finishing a task, to a delivery driver, to a colleague leaving for the day, and it's closer to 'thanks, good work' than to anything literal. wǒ xiān zǒu le is how you leave without seeming to sneak out.
The vocabulary around time is what you'll actually need: shàngbān and xiàbān for starting and finishing, jiābān for overtime, tèxiū for annual leave. Two words have no clean English equivalent — the wěiyá is the year-end company banquet, complete with lucky draws, and the niánzhōng jiǎngjīn is the year-end bonus that everyone quietly compares.
20 phrases for work & office
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Go to work / start your shift. | shàngbān | 上班 |
| Finish work. | xiàbān | 下班 |
| Work overtime. | jiābān | 加班 |
| Colleague. | tóngshì | 同事 |
| Manager / supervisor. | zhǔguǎn | 主管 |
| Have a meeting. | kāihuì | 開會 |
| Thanks for your hard work! (said constantly) | xīnkǔ le! | 辛苦了！ |
| I'm heading off. (leaving the office) | wǒ xiān zǒu le. | 我先走了。 |
| No problem! | méi wèntí! | 沒問題！ |
| Got it / understood. | wǒ zhīdào le. | 我知道了。 |
| I'm in the middle of something. | wǒ zài máng. | 我在忙。 |
| It's due tomorrow. | míngtiān yào jiāo. | 明天要交。 |
| Annual leave. | tèxiū | 特休 |
| Salary. | xīnshuǐ | 薪水 |
| Year-end bonus. | niánzhōng jiǎngjīn | 年終獎金 |
| The year-end company party. (a Taiwan institution) | wěiyá | 尾牙 |
| Job interview. | miànshì | 面試 |
| Business card. | míngpiàn | 名片 |
| Business trip. | chūchāi | 出差 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Let's discuss it tomorrow. | míngtiān zài shuō. | 明天再說。 |
Questions people ask
What is a 尾牙?
The year-end company party, held in the weeks before Lunar New Year — a banquet with colleagues, usually a lucky draw, sometimes performances. Attendance is social rather than optional in most workplaces.
What does 辛苦了 actually mean?
Literally 'you've had it hard', in practice 'thanks for your work'. Say it to anyone who has just done something for you or is finishing their day — it's warm, standard, and almost impossible to overuse.
What is 特休?
Statutory annual leave, accrued according to how long you've worked somewhere. It's distinct from public holidays and from unpaid or sick leave, which is qǐngjià.
How do I say I'm busy without being rude?
wǒ zài máng — 'I'm in the middle of something' — is normal and inoffensive. Follow it with míngtiān zài shuō (let's talk tomorrow) if it can wait.