Convenience Store

1. 欲加熱無？

   Beh ka-jia̍t bô?

   Would you like it heated up?

   Usage

   Said by staff. You will always be asked when you bring a lunchbox or rice ball to the till. Answer "beh, to-siā" (yes, thanks) or "bián, to-siā" (no need). In Taiwan the microwave sits behind the counter and staff operate it

   Grammar Note

   Taiwanese forms yes-no questions by placing "bô" at the end. It corresponds to Mandarin "ma" but originates as the word for "not have", so the pattern literally asks "do it, or not?"

2. 麻煩共我加熱一下

   Mâ-huân kā guá ka-jia̍t tsi̍t-ē

   Could you heat this up for me, please?

   Usage

   Use this to ask before staff offer. Taiwanese convenience stores have a preset heating time for each product, applied automatically when the barcode is scanned

   Grammar Note

   "Kā" is a preposition marking the person affected by or benefiting from an action, and it precedes the verb: "kā guá kóng" (tell me), "kā i kóng" (tell him). Mastering it unlocks Taiwanese word order

3. 欲湯匙仔無？

   Beh thng-sî-á bô?

   Would you like a spoon?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Taiwan has been cutting back on disposable tableware, so cutlery is no longer added silently. Decline with "bián, to-siā"

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-á" attaches to small objects and familiar tools, a hallmark of Taiwanese: thng-sî-á (spoon), to-á (knife), gín-á (child). Adding it also shifts the tone of the preceding syllable

4. 麻煩閣予我一雙箸

   Mâ-huân koh hōo guá tsi̍t-siang tī

   Could I have another pair of chopsticks?

   Usage

   Useful when sharing food. In many Taiwanese stores the chopsticks, spoons and straws sit in a box beside the till for you to take yourself. For napkins, ask for "uē-sing-tsuá"

   Grammar Note

   Taiwanese calls chopsticks "tī" rather than Mandarin "kuàizi", preserving the older Chinese word — the same root that gave Japanese "hashi"

5. 欲吸管無？

   Beh khip-kuán bô?

   Would you like a straw?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Since 2019 Taiwan has banned single-use plastic straws for dine-in service, replacing them with paper straws or drink-through lids. Say "bián" to decline

   Grammar Note

   "Beh … bô?" (欲…無) is the "do you want …?" question pattern: beh means "want/need" and the final bô makes it a yes/no question

6. 這第二件六折

   Tse tē-jī kiānn la̍k-tsiat

   The second one is 40% off on this item

   Usage

   Said by staff. Taiwanese shelf tags shout offers such as "second item at 60% of list price", "buy one get one free" and "add 10 dollars for another". Remember that Chinese states discounts as the share you pay, so "60% off" here actually means you pay 60%

   Grammar Note

   "Kiānn" is the measure word for retail items. "La̍k-tsiat" means six tenths of the list price — the smaller the number, the deeper the discount, the reverse of how English states it

7. 發票欲存載具無？

   Huat-phiò beh tshûn tsài-kū bô?

   Would you like the receipt saved to your e-invoice barcode (載具)?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Taiwanese receipts are government "uniform invoices" that double as a lottery ticket drawn every two months. A "carrier" stores the invoice electronically against a barcode on your phone and pays any winnings straight into your account. To get a paper slip instead, say "ìn tshut-lâi tō hó"

   Grammar Note

   "Tsài-kū" (carrier-tool) is a Taiwan-specific administrative coinage with no counterpart in Japanese or in other Chinese-speaking regions — it was created alongside Taiwan's e-invoice policy

8. 欲袋仔無？一个一箍

   Beh tē-á bô? Tsi̍t-ê tsi̍t khoo

   Do you need a bag? One dollar each

   Usage

   Said by staff. Since 2018 Taiwanese convenience stores may not give bags away free; a small one costs about NT$1 and a large one NT$2. Say "bián" to decline — most locals carry their own tote

   Grammar Note

   "Khoo" is the colloquial Taiwanese counter for dollars, equivalent to Mandarin "kuài". Prices written as "元" on the tag are read as "khoo" in speech: "tsa̍p khoo" (ten dollars), "tsi̍t-pah khoo" (one hundred)

9. 麻煩分開袋

   Mâ-huân pun-khui tē

   Could you bag them separately, please?

   Usage

   Use it to separate a heated lunchbox from ice cream. Bags are charged individually, so asking for two costs two. To split the payment instead, say "pun-khui sǹg"

   Grammar Note

   Here the noun "tē" (bag) is used directly as a verb meaning "to put in a bag". Taiwanese converts word classes freely, as with "só" (lock / to lock) and "tsím" (pillow / to use as a pillow)

10. 會使用悠遊卡付錢無？

    Ē-sái iōng iu-iû-khah hù-tsînn bô?

    Can I pay with an EasyCard?

    Usage

    Taiwanese convenience stores take both EasyCard and iPASS — just tap at the till. The same cards work on the MRT, buses and YouBike, and visitors can buy one in store and top it up with cash at the same counter

    Grammar Note

    "Ē-sái" covers both ability and permission; its negative is "bē-sái". Ending with "bô?" turns it into "may I ...?"

11. 會使佇遮食無？

    Ē-sái tī tsia tsia̍h bô?

    Is it all right to eat here?

    Usage

    Most Taiwanese convenience stores have a seating area with air conditioning, and people happily linger. Many offer power sockets and Wi-Fi, making them a standard rest stop. Sort your rubbish into the bins provided

    Grammar Note

    "Tsia̍h" covers eating, drinking and even smoking in Taiwanese: "tsia̍h tê" (drink tea), "tsia̍h hun" (smoke). Its range is considerably wider than Mandarin "chī"

12. 咖啡會使寄杯無？

    Ka-pi ē-sái kià-pue bô?

    Can I prepay for coffee and collect the cups later?

    Usage

    "Kià-pue" is a distinctly Taiwanese system: you buy a batch of coffees at a discount, take one now and leave the rest on account. The balance is tracked in the chain's app and can be redeemed at any of its branches

    Grammar Note

    "Kià" means to entrust or deposit, as in "kià phue" (post a letter) or "kià mi̍h-kiānn" (leave luggage). "Kià-pue" pairs the verb with a measure word — an unusual coinage that spread with the business practice itself

13. 燒的飲料佇佗位？

    Sio ê ím-liāu tī toh-uī?

    Where are the hot drinks?

    Usage

    In winter, hot cans and bottles sit in a warming cabinet — milk tea and hot grass jelly are favourites, alongside the oden broth. For fresh coffee, order an Americano or latte from the machine at the till. Regional variation: 佗位 is said both tó-uī and toh-uī.

    Grammar Note

    Taiwanese says "sio" for hot, not the Mandarin "rè": "sio-tsuí" (hot water), "sio-kún-kún" (piping hot). The reading "jia̍t" survives only in Sino-Taiwanese compounds such as "ka-jia̍t" (to heat)

14. 我欲來提網路買的貨

    Guá beh lâi the̍h bāng-lōo bé ê huè

    I am here to collect an online order

    Usage

    Taiwanese convenience stores double as pickup points for online shopping, and paying on collection is common, which suits shoppers who avoid credit cards. Show the pickup code sent to your phone plus ID to claim the parcel

    Grammar Note

    "Bāng-lōo bé ê huè" is a relative clause; like Mandarin, Taiwanese places the modifying clause before the noun. "Lâi + verb" expresses the purpose of coming

15. 遮會使繳水電費無？

    Tsia ē-sái kiáu tsuí-tiān-huì bô?

    Can I pay utility bills here?

    Usage

    Taiwanese convenience stores act as collection agents for water, electricity, gas and phone bills, plus parking fees, traffic fines, tuition and credit-card statements. Just show the barcode on the bill; most are handled free of charge. Very useful on longer stays or in rented flats

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "huì" builds fee nouns: tsuí-tiān-huì (utilities), tiān-uē-huì (phone bill), ha̍k-huì (tuition), tshia-huì (fare). "Tsuí-tiān-huì" idiomatically bundles water and electricity together

16. 這个便當著愛今仔日食完無？

    Tsit-ê piān-tong tio̍h-ài kin-á-ji̍t tsia̍h-uân bô?

    Does this lunchbox have to be eaten today?

    Usage

    Taiwanese convenience-store meals have a short shelf life, with the label showing the valid-until date down to the hour. Items near the limit are discounted at night as "near-expiry" stock, a practice well established at 7-ELEVEN

    Grammar Note

    "Piān-tong" is a direct borrowing of Japanese "bentō", settled into Taiwanese during the colonial period. Many such loans survive: "oo-jí-sáng" (middle-aged man), "tsù-bûn" (to place an order)

17. 欲集點無？

    Beh tsi̍p-tiám bô?

    Would you like to collect points?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Taiwanese chains run point-collection campaigns several times a year: spend a set amount, earn a stamp, and trade stamps for character magnets, tableware and other collectibles. Popular character tie-ins draw queues and are a fixture of Taiwanese consumer culture. Points also accrue through the chain's app barcode

    Grammar Note

    "Tsi̍p-tiám" is a verb-object compound fused into a single word, like "tsia̍h-pn̄g" (eat a meal) or "kóng-uē" (speak). Taiwanese leans heavily on this pattern

18. 我欲印文件，事務機佇佗位？

    Guá beh ìn bûn-kiānn, sū-bū-ki tī toh-uī?

    I need to print a document — where is the multimedia kiosk?

    Usage

    Every Taiwanese convenience store has a multimedia kiosk — ibon at 7-ELEVEN, FamiPort at FamilyMart, Life-ET at Hi-Life — handling printing and copying plus ticket purchases, train bookings, official documents and money transfers. Visitors most often use them to print boarding passes and booking slips. Note that Taiwan places no time restriction on alcohol sales; only an ID age check applies. Regional variation: 佗位 is said both tó-uī and toh-uī.

    Grammar Note

    "Toh-uī" is the Taiwanese interrogative for "where", paired with the locative "tī". It corresponds to Mandarin "nǎlǐ", and wh-questions never take the sentence-final "bô"

Browse all TravelPhrases languages