Intro to Taiwanese: the Immersive Crash Course
Course Introduction
Taiwanese is a local language spoken by around 70% of the population and used to be the dominant language in Taiwan. In this immersive crash course, you will learn the basic conversational skills and be able to practice Taiwanese in a real cultural setting and interact with local people.
QUICK FACTS
Instructor:
Yvonne Su (蘇紋巧, A-khá) (Main Instructor)
Terry Hsieh (謝智翔) (Facilitator)
Date:
Mon, Nov 3rd, 2025. 09:00 A.M. - Wed, Nov 5rd, 2025. 12:01 P.M.
Location:
Kaohsiung FDJ Bao-An Temple
Level:
Beginner
Cost:
250 USD
Accommodation:
book your hotel room in Kaohsiung or stay at FDJ Bao-An Temple's Pilgrim Guesthouse (30 USD/Night)
Why Taiwanese?
Taiwanese has a very long history dating back to ancient China and has preserved several unique linguistic features of Old Chinese. It is also deeply influenced by other languages such as Japanese, Mandarin, English, and the Austronesian languages of Taiwan. Once you understand some basic Taiwanese, you can also communicate with people who speak closely-related all over the world including, Teowchow, Hokkien, Minnan. Last but not least, you would be surprised to find Taiwanese words in Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and even Korean, too.
About the Course
This course will mainly teach Pe̍h-ōe-jī (POJ) and its consonants, vowels, and tones so that you can quickly master the pronunciation. Daily conversational phrases and common sentence patterns will be introduced for real-life use. This course will be held at culturally-enriched Pó-an Kiong (保安宮), which is one of the largest temples in Kaohsiung. Temples in Taiwan represent a very essential part of Taiwanese culture so on day 3 we will explore this venue and engage in religious rituals (optional) by speaking Taiwanese.
Meet the Instructor
A-khá was born in Kaohsiung and the first language she spoke was Taiwanese. Nevertheless, as she grew up, she became more and more distant from her mother tongue under the KMT’s Mandarin-only environment. Out of the love for this island and her ancestors, she decided to talk to her children only in Taiwanese seven years ago, which is very rare for people of her age. Now she is a fluent Taiwanese speaker who hosts Taiwanese-related activities for children and adults.
Course Objective
Introduction of Pe̍h-ōe-jī (POJ)
Greetings and self-introduction
Basic understanding of Taiwanese culture
Real-life conversation skills
Interaction with local people
Course Schedule
Day 1 (November 3) Basic Understanding of Taiwanese
Morning Session
09:00-10:00 History and Development of Taiwanese
10:15-12:15 Introduction of Pe̍h-ōe-jī (POJ)
Afternoon Session
13:30-15:00 Greetings and Self-introduction
15:15-16:45 Family and Feelings
16:45-17:00 Review & QA
Day 2 (November 4) Exploring More about Taiwanese
Morning Session
09:00-10:30 Food and Dessert
10:45-12:15 Seasons and Festivals
Afternoon Session
13:30-15:00 Nature and Geography
15:15-16:45 Society and Religion
16:45-17:00 Review & QA
Day 3 (November 5) A Real Taiwanese Experience
Morning Session
09:00-12:00 Exploring Pó-an Kiong (保安宮) and Ritual Participation
Additional Information
FDJ Bao-An Temple Website:
https://www.fdjbak.org.tw/
