Mandarin

The National Language of Taiwan is Mandarin which is also known as kuo yu.

Although Mandarin is the national tongue of the Taiwanese, its usage varies among the different groups of people. Mainlanders speak Mandarin most of the time. Among the native Taiwanese, who form 85 percent of the population, Mandarin is spoken in offices and shops but not necessarily at home. About half of the native Taiwanese speak other Chinese dialects with their families.

Taiwanese Mandarin has been influenced by the dialects spoken on the island, especially the Fujian dialect. In fact, some Fujian words that have crept into Taiwanese Mandarin are so common, even the mainlanders use them.

The Chinese language is said to be one of the most complex languages in the world to learn. Not only the sounds of the words difficult for a non-Chinese speaker to master, but writing it is an even more demanding task. Mandarin is a monosyllabic language, and this means that each syllabus as pronounced has a unique meaning. Words may be made up of either one or more syllables.

Fujian and Hakka

The two most widely spoken dialects are the Fujian and Hakka dialects. Each is a form of the Chinese language peculiar to certain areas in China. The Fujian dialect comes from Fujian Province on the mainland. It is more commonly spoken in the southern part of Taiwan and in parts of the western coastal region that have historically absorbed immigrants from Fujian. Hakka originated from Hunan province on the mainland and is widely spoken in Taiwan’s Hsin-chu, P’ing tung, Miao-li and Tao-yuan countries, which have a sizable Hakka population.

Formosan

The Formosan languages are the languages of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are extinct, another five are moribund and several others are to some degree endangered.

All Formosan languages are slowly being replaced by the culturally dominant Mandarin Chinese.

Japanese and English

The Japanese language was compulsorily taught while Taiwan was under Japanese rule(1895 to 1945). Although fluency is now largely limited to the elderly, some of Taiwan's youth who look to Japan as the trend-setter of the region's youth pop culture now might know a bit of Japanese through the media, their grandparents, or classes taken from private "cram schools".

English is a common second language, with some large private schools providing English instruction. English is compulsory in students' curriculum once they enter elementary school. English as a school subject is also featured on Taiwan's education exams.

Mandarin

The National Language of Taiwan is Mandarin which is also known as kuo yu.

Although Mandarin is the national tongue of the Taiwanese, its usage varies among the different groups of people. Mainlanders speak Mandarin most of the time. Among the native Taiwanese, who form 85 percent of the population, Mandarin is spoken in offices and shops but not necessarily at home. About half of the native Taiwanese speak other Chinese dialects with their families.

Taiwanese Mandarin has been influenced by the dialects spoken on the island, especially the Fujian dialect. In fact, some Fujian words that have crept into Taiwanese Mandarin are so common, even the mainlanders use them.

The Chinese language is said to be one of the most complex languages in the world to learn. Not only the sounds of the words difficult for a non-Chinese speaker to master, but writing it is an even more demanding task. Mandarin is a monosyllabic language, and this means that each syllabus as pronounced has a unique meaning. Words may be made up of either one or more syllables.

Fujian and Hakka

The two most widely spoken dialects are the Fujian and Hakka dialects. Each is a form of the Chinese language peculiar to certain areas in China. The Fujian dialect comes from Fujian Province on the mainland. It is more commonly spoken in the southern part of Taiwan and in parts of the western coastal region that have historically absorbed immigrants from Fujian. Hakka originated from Hunan province on the mainland and is widely spoken in Taiwan’s Hsin-chu, P’ing tung, Miao-li and Tao-yuan countries, which have a sizable Hakka population.

Formosan

The Formosan languages are the languages of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are extinct, another five are moribund and several others are to some degree endangered.

All Formosan languages are slowly being replaced by the culturally dominant Mandarin Chinese.

Japanese and English

The Japanese language was compulsorily taught while Taiwan was under Japanese rule(1895 to 1945). Although fluency is now largely limited to the elderly, some of Taiwan's youth who look to Japan as the trend-setter of the region's youth pop culture now might know a bit of Japanese through the media, their grandparents, or classes taken from private "cram schools".

English is a common second language, with some large private schools providing English instruction. English is compulsory in students' curriculum once they enter elementary school. English as a school subject is also featured on Taiwan's education exams.