One of the biggest difference is the writing style. Simplified Chinese characters are used in mainland China, while traditional Chinese is used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. However, it’s not only the only difference! Vocabularies are not the same as well.
Here you will find 30 examples of differences in vocabulary.
| English | Mainland China | Taiwan |
| brown | 棕色 | 咖啡色 |
| koala | 树袋熊 | 無尾熊 |
| jellyfish | 海蜇 | 水母 |
| restaurant | 饭馆 | 餐廳 |
| tomato | 西红柿 | 蕃茄 |
| potato | 土豆 | 馬鈴薯 / 薯仔 |
| carrot | 胡萝卜 | 紅蘿蔔 |
| cabbage | 圆白菜 | 高麗菜 |
| cucumber | 青瓜 | 黃瓜 |
| broccoli | 西兰花 | 花菜 |
| orange | 橙 | 柳丁 |
| melon | 蜜瓜 | 香瓜 |
| pineapple | 菠萝 | 鳯梨 |
| kiwi | 猕猴桃 | 奇異果 |
| sandwich | 三文治 | 三明治 |
| french fries | 土豆条 | 薯條 |
| pizza | 薄饼 | 披薩 |
| yogurt | 酸奶 | 優格 |
| butter | 黃油 | 奶油 |
| plate | 碟 | 盤子 |
| bus | 公车 | 客運 |
| car | 私家车 | 轎車 |
| bicycle | 单车 | 腳踏車 |
| subway | 地铁 | 捷運 |
| motorbike | 电单车 | 摩托車 |
| taxi | 出租车 | 計程車 |
| tram | 电车 | 輕軌 |
| wallet | 钱包 | 皮夾 |
| camera | 相机 | 照相機 |
| cold (sick) | 风寒 | 感冒 |
You can learn more in our app, LingoCards!
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