Varieties of Chinese: mainland, Taiwan, accents and Cantonese loans

One language, several standards

Mandarin is called 普通话 in mainland China, 国语 in Taiwan and 华语 in Singapore and Malaysia. The standards are mutually intelligible but differ in script, some words and some readings. None of them is "wrong": this course teaches the mainland standard, and you should recognise the others.

Simplified and Traditional characters

The mainland, Singapore and Malaysia use Simplified characters; Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau use Traditional ones.

• Traditional: 學習 = 学习 (study), 說話 = 说话 (speak), 電話 = 电话 (phone), 這個 = 这个 (this), 國語 = 国语
• Traditional: 臺灣 or 台灣 = 台湾 (Taiwan)

The conversion is not one-to-one. Several Traditional characters can share one Simplified form, so converting back needs context.

• Traditional: 發 (to send out) and 髮 (hair) are both 发 in Simplified.
• Traditional: 後 (after) and 后 (queen) are both 后 in Simplified.

Mainland and Taiwan words

Taiwan forms are shown here in Simplified characters.

土豆 is a real false friend: on the mainland it means potato, in Taiwan it usually means peanut.

• 我们坐计程车去吧。Let's take a taxi. (Taiwan usage)
• 这个软件很好用。This software is easy to use. (mainland)
• 在台湾，土豆一般是花生的意思。In Taiwan, 土豆 usually means peanut.
• 新加坡人把普通话叫做华语。Singaporeans call Mandarin Huayu.

Pronunciation

• Taiwan Mandarin uses little erhua and fewer neutral tones (东西 often dōngxī), and some standard readings differ: 垃圾 lèsè (mainland lājī), 星期 xīngqí (mainland xīngqī).
• Southern accents (mainland and Taiwan alike) often merge zh, ch, sh into z, c, s (是 sounds like sì), and many speakers merge -n and -ng (in / ing). In parts of the south and southwest, n and l merge (牛奶 sounds like liúlǎi). These are accent features, not errors in the speaker's own variety.

Loans from Cantonese

Hong Kong and Guangdong culture gave Mandarin several everyday words:

• 吃完饭我来买单。I'll get the bill after the meal.
• 他被老板炒鱿鱼了。He got fired by his boss.
• 我们打的去机场吧。Let's take a taxi to the airport.

买单 (pay the bill; Cantonese 埋单), 炒鱿鱼 (to fire someone: the usual explanation is that frying squid curls up like a sacked worker's rolled-up bedroll), 的士 and 打的 (taxi), 巴士 (bus) and 靓 (good-looking) all came in through Cantonese.

Common mistakes

• Correcting a Taiwanese speaker's 计程车 or 垃圾 lèsè: these are standard where they live.
• Mixing scripts in one text, as in Traditional 我們 next to Simplified 学: 我們在学中文。 → 我们在学中文 (or all Traditional: 我們在學中文).
• Asking for 土豆 in Taipei when you want potatoes: you may get peanuts. Ask for 马铃薯.
• Assuming a converter will get 发 right: it can't know if you mean hair or sending without context.