What's the difference between Mandarin and Chinese?

Chinese refers to a large group of dialects , Mandarin being one of (the most popular by a comfortable distance) those dialects.

Does Taiwan use Simplified or Traditional Mandarin?

Taiwan uses Traditional Mandarin compared to the Mainland which uses Simplified. Traditional characters generally look more complex but actually some traditional and simplified characters are the same, or have very minor differences. Discover more about the differences between Simplified and Traditional here .

Is learning Chinese in Taiwan different to learning Chinese in the Mainland?

The short answer is yes. Every language can be varied when being used or spoken in different regions. Even in Mainland China, learning Chinese in Beijing, or Guangzhou would also be different given the fact each region has their own dialect. Either way, you'll still be learning Mandarin.

Is Simplified Chinese understood in Taiwan?

Yes it will be. Mixing Mandarin and Taiwanese is a common phenomenon in Taiwan , although you may not feel so if you live in Taipei.

Do Mainlanders think Taiwanese sound very different?

Many Chinese people find that Taiwanese speak Mandarin more softly (which is nothing to do with volume) and the accent is very easy to distinguish. Taiwanese weaken certain sounds like Zh, Sh and Ch. Those aforementioned consonants are called retroflexes. Let’s say, if we set a scale to evaluate the retroflex by measuring the tongue raising extent, and set Beijing Mandarin as 10 , then Taiwanese Mandarin may fall in 6 or 7 .