Animals

1. 狗

   Káu

   Dog

   Usage

   The dog. Taiwan has many free-roaming strays, and they will bark at you on country roads

2. 貓

   Niau

   Cat

   Usage

   The cat. Houtong's cat village is a tourist destination in its own right

3. 鳥仔

   Tsiáu-á

   Bird

   Usage

   Birds in general. Taiwan has many endemic species and a strong birdwatching scene

4. 白翎鷥

   Pe̍h-līng-si

   Egret

   Usage

   The white bird you see in every paddy field, and the subject of a Taiwanese nursery rhyme everyone knows

5. 厝角鳥仔

   Tshù-kak-tsiáu-á

   Sparrow

   Usage

   Literally "the bird at the corner of the house" — the native Taiwanese term, not Mandarin 麻雀

6. 魚

   Hî

   Fish

   Usage

   The fish, pronounced "hû" in the south. Used constantly at markets and food stalls

7. 馬

   Bé

   Horse

   Usage

   The horse. Not a farm animal in Taiwan — you meet them at ranches and riding clubs

8. 牛

   Gû

   Cow

   Usage

   The cow of 牛肉麵. Some older Taiwanese still avoid beef out of respect for the ox that worked the fields

9. 水牛

   Tsuí-gû

   Water buffalo

   Usage

   The buffalo that once ploughed Taiwan's paddies. A herd still grazes at Qingtiangang on Yangmingshan

10. 豬

    Ti

    Pig

    Usage

    The pig — the meat at the heart of Taiwanese cooking, including 滷肉飯. Some areas say "tu"

11. 山豬

    Suann-ti

    Wild boar

    Usage

    The wild boar of the mountains. Indigenous villages serve it as a speciality dish

12. 雞

    Ke

    Chicken

    Usage

    Covers the bird and the meat; the south says "kue". Free-range birds are 土雞 (thóo-ke)

13. 鴨

    Ah

    Duck

    Usage

    The duck of Yilan's famous smoked "ah-siúnn"

14. 羊

    Iûnn

    Goat / sheep

    Usage

    Taiwanese uses one word for both; say 山羊 (suann-iûnn) if you mean a goat. The winter hotpot 羊肉爐 is goat

15. 猴

    Kâu

    Monkey

    Usage

    The endemic Formosan rock macaque, met on Kaohsiung's Shoushan and around Hehuanshan. Keep your bag closed — visible food draws them in

16. 熊

    Hîm

    Bear

    Usage

    Taiwan's bear is the Formosan black bear with the white V on its chest — endangered, and rarely seen even in the mountains

17. 蛇

    Tsuâ

    Snake

    Usage

    Taiwan has six venomous species. Keep away on the trails, and head for a hospital with antivenom if bitten

18. 龜

    Ku

    Turtle

    Usage

    The turtle. Guishan Island off Yilan is named for its turtle shape

19. 水雞

    Tsuí-ke

    Frog

    Usage

    Literally "water chicken" — the native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 青蛙. They call all night in the paddies

20. 蟮蟲仔

    Siān-thâng-á

    House gecko

    Usage

    The native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 壁虎. The little gecko on the wall is harmless and eats mosquitoes

21. 杜定

    Tōo-tīng

    Lizard

    Usage

    The native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 蜥蜴 — the lizard that runs on the ground, as opposed to the wall gecko

22. 鳥鼠

    Niáu-tshí

    Rat / mouse

    Usage

    The native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 老鼠. Common in the back lanes behind night markets

23. 兔仔

    Thòo-á

    Rabbit

    Usage

    The rabbit. Taiwanese attaches the diminutive 仔 (-á) to many animal names

24. 蠓仔

    Báng-á

    Mosquito

    Usage

    The native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 蚊子. In the south they carry dengue — use it when asking for repellent

25. 虼蚻

    Ka-tsua̍h

    Cockroach

    Usage

    The native Taiwanese word; also written 曱甴. Everyone understands the sound "ka-tsua̍h", and Mandarin 蟑螂 also works

26. 狗蟻

    Káu-hiā

    Ant

    Usage

    The native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 螞蟻. The characters read "dog ant", but dogs have nothing to do with it

27. 蜜蜂

    Bi̍t-phang

    Bee

    Usage

    The honeybee. Mention any sting allergy in advance. The dangerous hornet is 虎頭蜂 (hóo-thâu-phang)

28. 蜘蛛

    Ti-tu

    Spider

    Usage

    The spider. Taiwan's lowlands are full of big golden orb-weavers, harmless to people

29. 蜈蚣

    Giâ-kang

    Centipede

    Usage

    A painful bite. They come indoors after rain — shake out your shoes first

30. 蝴蝶

    Ôo-tia̍p

    Butterfly

    Usage

    Taiwan is nicknamed the butterfly kingdom. The purple crow butterflies wintering at Maolin are the famous sight

31. 胡蠅

    Hôo-sîn

    Fly

    Usage

    The native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 蒼蠅 — a night-market and wet-market word

32. 田嬰

    Tshân-enn

    Dragonfly

    Usage

    Literally "the baby of the paddy" — the native Taiwanese word, not Mandarin 蜻蜓

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