Taiwan Slang Skill
Purpose
Help users understand Taiwan-specific slang, internet expressions, and Taiwanese Mandarin — essential for reading forums, understanding memes, and talking like a local.
When to Activate
- User encounters unfamiliar Taiwan slang
- User wants to understand PTT discussions
- User asks about Taiwanese expressions
- User wants to sound more local
PTT CULTURE
Basic PTT Terms
| Term | Meaning | Context |
|---|
| 推 | Upvote / "push" | Agree, support |
| 噓 | Downvote / "boo" | Disagree, dislike |
| → | Neutral comment | Just commenting |
| 爆 | Explosive / hot thread | 100+ pushes = 爆 |
| XX | Censored / meme marking | "噓 XX" = getting booed |
| 原po / 原PO | Original poster | OP |
| 肥宅 | Fat otaku | Self-deprecating, usually ironic |
| 魯蛇 | Loser | From English "loser" |
| 溫拿 | Winner | From English "winner" |
| 鄉民 | PTT users | "Villagers" |
PTT Board Abbreviations
| Board | Topic |
|---|
| 八卦 Gossiping | General discussion, news |
| 股票 Stock | Stock market |
| 科技工作 Tech_Job | Tech industry jobs |
| 軟工 Soft_Job | Software engineering |
| 薪資 Salary | Salary discussions |
| C_Chat | ACG chat |
| 棒球 Baseball | Baseball |
PTT Phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|
| 蓋牌 | Thread buried by new posts |
| 被水桶 | Got banned (put in bucket) |
| 發錢 | OP gives out P幣 (PTT currency) |
| 錢 | Begging for P幣 in comments |
| 幫高調 | Help boost visibility |
| 高調 | Boosting signal |
| 低調 | Keeping low profile |
| 上車 | Getting in (on investment, etc.) |
| 下車 | Getting out |
| 套牢 | Stuck (in bad investment) |
| 畢業 | "Graduated" = sold at loss |
| 可撥 | Pitiful (sounds like 可悲) |
| 不意外 | Not surprised |
| 4 | 是 (yes, phonetic) |
| 87 | 白痴 (idiot, phonetic) |
| 94狂 | 就是狂 (so crazy/wild) |
INTERNET SLANG
Common Expressions
| Slang | Meaning | Origin |
|---|
| ㄏㄏ | Haha (sarcastic laugh) | Bopomofo |
| XD | Laughing face | International |
| QQ | Crying / sad | Emoticon |
| 囧 | Awkward / embarrassed | Character looks like face |
| Orz | Kneeling in despair | Person on ground |
| +1 | Agree | |
| -1 | Disagree | |
| 777 | Applause | Twitch/gaming origin |
| 666 | Skilled / awesome | Gaming origin |
| 484 | 是不是 (is it?) | Phonetic |
| 2486 | Asshole | Taiwanese curse phonetic |
| gg | Game over / screwed | Gaming |
| 母湯 | 不要 / don't | Taiwanese pronunciation |
| 歪腰 | 偶爾 / occasionally | Pronunciation joke |
Bopomofo (注音) Slang
Many slang terms use Bopomofo initials:
| Code | Full | Meaning |
|---|
| ㄅㄅ | 掰掰 | Bye bye |
| ㄇㄉ | 媽的 | F*** (vulgar) |
| ㄏㄏ | 呵呵 | Haha (often sarcastic) |
| ㄎㄎ | 科科 | Hehe |
| ㄉㄉ | 哥哥/弟弟 | Brother (context-dependent) |
| ㄈㄓ | 肥宅 | Fat otaku |
| ㄐㄐ | 雞雞 | Penis (crude) |
TAIWANESE MANDARIN
Pronunciation Differences
Taiwan Mandarin differs from China Mandarin:
| Feature | Taiwan | China |
|---|
| Retroflex | Softer (sh→s) | Strong |
| R sound | Often dropped | Standard |
| Tone | More melodic | Flatter |
| 和 | hàn | hé |
| 什麼 | shé me | shén me |
Taiwan-Specific Words
| Taiwan | China | Meaning |
|---|
| 計程車 | 出租车 | Taxi |
| 捷運 | 地铁 | Metro/MRT |
| 軟體 | 软件 | Software |
| 網路 | 网络 | Internet |
| 資訊 | 信息 | Information |
| 品質 | 质量 | Quality |
| 影印 | 复印 | Photocopy |
| 公車 | 公交车 | Bus |
| 腳踏車 | 自行车 | Bicycle |
| 機車 | 摩托车 | Scooter |
| 窩心 | 暖心 | Heartwarming (⚠️ means "frustrated" in China!) |
Minnan (Taiwanese) Loan Words
Many Taiwanese Hokkien words are used in daily Mandarin:
| Term | Meaning | Context |
|---|
| 歹勢 | Sorry / excuse me | Very common |
| 阿嬤 | Grandma | Maternal |
| 阿公 | Grandpa | Maternal |
| 阿伯 | Uncle / older man | |
| 阿姨 | Auntie | |
| 頭家 | Boss | Business |
| 五告 | Very / super | Like 非常 |
| 幹 | F*** | Common expletive |
| 靠北/靠杯 | WTF / complaining | Very common |
| 機車 | Annoying / troublesome | Not just scooter |
| 白目 | Clueless / oblivious | |
| 龜毛 | Picky / fussy | |
| 牽拖 | Making excuses | |
| 衰 | Unlucky | |
| 俗辣 | Coward | |
| 撿角 | Useless person | |
YOUTH SLANG (Current)
⚠️ Slang evolves fast. These are examples, not exhaustive.
| Term | Meaning | Era |
|---|
| 躺平 | Lie flat / give up trying | 2021+ |
| 社畜 | Corporate slave | Japanese origin |
| 韭菜 | Retail investor (getting cut) | Stock market |
| 內捲 | Involution / rat race | 2020s |
| 割韭菜 | Getting exploited | Finance |
| 玻璃心 | Easily offended | |
| 塑膠 | Fake (friendship) | "Are you plastic?" |
| 綠茶婊 | Two-faced woman | Internet drama |
| 斯斯 | Passive-aggressive | |
| 嗆 | To call out / roast | |
| 拖延症 | Procrastination | Common self-diagnosis |
| 社恐 | Social anxiety | |
| emo | Emotional / moody | |
MEME REFERENCES
Famous Phrases
| Phrase | Origin | Meaning |
|---|
| 發大財 | 2018 election | "Get rich" (now ironic) |
| 高雄發大財 | Han Kuo-yu slogan | Political meme |
| 芒果乾 | 亡國感 | "Sense of national doom" |
| 塔綠班 | Green Taliban | Political insult to DPP |
| 4%仔 | TPP voter | Political insult |
| 1450 | DPP internet army (alleged) | Political insult |
| 韓粉 | Han Kuo-yu supporters | |
| 柯粉 | Ko Wen-je supporters | |
| 覺青 | "Awakened youth" | Can be sincere or sarcastic |
| 小粉紅 | Chinese nationalists | Pink = CCP youth league |
TYPING CONVENTIONS
Common Substitutions
| Written | Meaning | Why |
|---|
| 偶 | 我 (I) | Cutesy |
| 尼 | 你 (you) | Cutesy |
| 醬 | 這樣 (like this) | Pronunciation |
| 捏 | 呢 (particle) | Cutesy |
| 惹 | 了 (particle) | Cutesy |
| 降 | 這樣 (like this) | Pronunciation |
| 粗乃玩 | 出來玩 | Playful spelling |
Emphasis
| Style | Example | Effect |
|---|
| Fullwidth | ＷＴＦＦＦ | Emphasis |
| Repeated chars | 好煩煩煩煩 | Emphasis |
| Alternating | 好ㄉ | Casual |
| Symbols | 超～讚～ | Excited |
CAUTIONS
Don't Use Casually
| Term | Why |
|---|
| 幹 | Very vulgar |
| 靠北 | Vulgar |
| 87 | Calling someone stupid |
| 2486 | Strong insult |
| Political terms | Can start arguments |
Generational
- Older people may not understand internet slang
- Young people may cringe at outdated terms
- PTT culture ≠ Instagram culture
HOW TO LEARN MORE
Methods
- Lurk on PTT — Read, don't post until you understand
- Follow Taiwan Twitter/Threads — Current slang
- Ask locals — But be careful with vulgar terms
- Watch Taiwan YouTube — Hear natural speech
Search Pattern
"[unknown term]" 意思
"[unknown term]" PTT
"[unknown term]" 解釋
Understanding slang = understanding culture 🇹🇼