In this episode, we’ve talked about online communication, internet culture and some related words in Taiwanese.
(These show notes use tables and rich formatting. Please visit the episode webpage for an optimal viewing experience.)
| TAIWANESE | ENGLISH |
| Lín tsia kám ū WIFI? | Do you have WIFI here? |
| Lín tsia kám ū bāng-lōo? | Do you have internet here? |
| bāng-lōo | internet; the Internet (literally: net-road) |
| tiān-náu | computer |
| Tshiánn-mn̄g , bāng-lōo ê àm-hō sī siánn-mih? | Excuse me, may I ask what’s the password for the internet? |
| àm-hō / bi̍t-bé | password |
| Bāng-lōo ê bi̍t-bé sī tsia ê tiān-uē hō-bé. | The internet password is the phone number here. |
| tiān-uē hō-bé | phone number |
| tshiú-ki-á | mobile phone |
| Beh tsiūnn bāng-lōo, ài sing phah bi̍t-bé. | To get online, I first need to input the password |
| tsiūnn bāng-lōo | to get/to go online |
| siā-kau muî-thé | social media |
| bāng-tsām | website |
| bīn-tsheh | Facebook (literally: face-book) |
| kháu-tsō / hōo-thâu | account or profile |
| hōo-thâu-miâ | username or account name |
| Guá ê pîng-iú phoo tsi̍t phinn bûn | My friend made a post. |
| phoo | 1) to make a post online (from English word “post”)
2) to pave or lay out |
| tsi̍t phinn bûn | an online post; an article |
| bûn-tsiunn | article |
| huê-bûn | to respond to a post |
| Guá kā i huê-bûn. | I responded to his post. |
| huê tiān-tsú-phue | to respond to email |
| tiān-tsú-phue | |
| pîng-iú | friend |
| bāng-iú | friends made through apps, online games, online forums, or social media; or netizens (literally: net-friend) |
| Lín bô si̍k-sāi. | You don’t know each other. |
| kûn-tsoo | online group |
| hiong-bîn | villager; “PTT users” or “netizen” in Taiwanese online jargon |
| tshi̍h tsán | to hit “like” |
| hun-hióng | to share |
| tsi̍t tiunn tôo | an image |
| tsi̍t tè iánn-phìnn | a video |
| tsiūnn-thuân / thuân--khí-khì / thuân tsiūnn bāng | to upload
Pronunciation note: “--khí-khì” (up-away) is usually pronounced as “--khí-lì”. |
| ap-lóo | to upload |
| hā-tsài / lia̍h--lo̍h-lâi | to download |
| táng-lóo | to download |
| Kā LINE ê A-P-P hā-tsài. | Download the LINE App. |
| Guá kā i su-sìn. | I sent him a private message. |
| su-sìn | a private message, or to send a private message |
| sìn-sit | a message or text |
| Guá tú-á siu-tio̍h guán a-bú ê sìn-sit. | I just got a message from my mom. |
| Guá hip tsi̍t tiunn siōng, thuân hōo--i. | I took a picture, and sent it to her |
| Guá thuân sìn-sit hōo--i. | I sent a message to her. |
| Guá kià tiān-tsú-phue hōo--i. | I sent an email to her. |
| khà | to call someone by phone |
| Guá khà LINE hōo--i. | I called her using LINE |
*Syllables that have been greyed out require a tone change
For more about online communication and internet culture, be sure to check out our workbook. It also gives you some additional vocabulary, culture and grammar explanations, and great exercises to reinforce what you’ve learned in this episode.
ONE BITE CHALLENGE: WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
Our One Bite Challenge this week is a Taiwanese saying:
“Oo kan-á té tāu-iû.” (--“Khuànn-bē-tshut”)
This saying can be translated as: “soy sauce in a black bottle (you just can’t see it from the outside)”
Let’s break down the sentence:
| TAIWANESE | ENGLISH |
| oo | black |
| kan-á | bottle |
| té / tué | to fill (in a container), to contain, to store |
| tāu-iû | soy sauce |
“Oo kan-á té tāu-iû” is often used to describe someone who surprises you with a secret talent you didn’t know he or she has, or when a seemingly ordinary person performs better than you expected. It’s like soy sauce in a black bottle -- “you can’t see it from outside.”
The second part “khuànn-bē-tshut” or “khuànn-bē-tshut--lâi” (you can’t see it) is the implied meaning and is usually known by the listener.
There are many sayings of this type in Taiwanese where the speaker often only says the first part and expects the listener to know the second. It’s similar to English “an apple a day (keeps the doctor away)” or “speak of the devil (and he doth appear)”.
Music Credit: TeknoAXE