/ Culture, Language, Lifestyle

Who Speaks the Best Mandarin in Taiwan? Lessons from 中文怪物 (Zhōngwén guàiwù) on Learning Bopomofo, Tones, and Taiwanese Culture

The Video that went viral

One of the videos from the YouTube channel Ku’s Dream recently went viral. It’s titled “Who Speaks the Best Mandarin in Taiwan | 誰才是中文最好的外國人？(Shéi cái shì Zhōngwén zuì hǎo de wàiguórén?)” and is part of a multi-episode series. You’ve probably already seen it. Let me share my insights after watching the first episode: 中文怪物 EP1 ( (Zhōngwén guàiwù EP1)) | WHO SPEAKS THE BEST MANDARIN IN TAIWAN (watch here).

Video Source: Ku’s Dream 酷的夢 (Kù de mèng) – Who Speaks the Best Mandarin in Taiwan | 中文怪物 EP1 (YouTube link)

I think the video they made is truly amazing and impressive. It made me realize how a foreigner can notice things that we, as local Taiwanese, often overlook or never think about. Interestingly, there isn’t really any local channel that combines both entertainment and education the way Ku’s Dream 酷的夢 (Kù de mèng) does.

bpmf– Taiwan’s phonetic system

Maybe we usually think it’s too difficult or not friendly to test a foreigner on whether they know Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) and the four tones. But that’s exactly what every Taiwanese person grows up learning — it’s part of our foundation.

As far as I know, most foreigners choose to learn Mandarin through Pinyin, not Bopomofo. I can say this with confidence because whenever my new students start my class, I always ask which phonetic system they are familiar with or would like to learn. None of them have ever chosen Bopomofo.

I’m comfortable teaching both systems, because what truly matters to my students is communication — being able to connect with Taiwanese people in daily life. The goal isn’t about which phonetic system they use, but how well they can express themselves and understand others.

There was only one case where I suggested a student learn Bopomofo. She worked at a cram school with elementary students, and knowing Bopomofo helped her bridge the language gap and connect better with her students. You can imagine how amazed those kids were when they saw their foreign English teacher using Bopomofo and speaking Mandarin so fluently — it truly inspired them and made her even more loved by her students.

That’s why I never thought highlighting Bopomofo to foreigners could be beneficial — until I saw this YouTube video. It was truly surprising to see that Ku’s Dream did exactly that.

Groups of foreigner in this video

From this video, I noticed that people who are interested in learning our language come from many different industries — actors, actresses, YouTubers, interpreters, students, sales, professors, and engineers. Many of them work in entertainment or content creation, such as YouTube, and they’ve been living in Taiwan for some time. By interacting with their fans, they’ve created spaces where they can communicate and naturally improve their Mandarin.

Aside from those who learn Mandarin for academic or professional purposes, there are also students who have studied in Taiwan. These students usually know Mandarin quite well, but most of them haven’t learned our phonetic system, especially Bopomofo and the tones, in a systematic way.

I think this happens naturally — when someone first becomes interested in a new language and starts living here, their first goal is communication. That’s the most essential step. Once they can communicate, they gradually start to understand the deeper nuances of the language.

Quite some failing to answer the Tone question

That’s an interesting question — since they’ve been communicating and interacting with Taiwanese people for quite some time, why can’t they still catch the correct tones?

Well, as one of the participants in the video pointed out, Taiwanese people in daily life don’t always pronounce words with the standard tones.

For example, when you visit a convenience store like 7-Eleven, the clerk might greet you by saying 「歡迎光臨」 (huān yíng guāng lín, “Welcome!”). But what you actually hear often sounds more like (wān yīn guāng lín) when spoken quickly, due to the natural speed and tone changes in casual speech.

So, without clear guidance on the correct pronunciation and tones, foreigners tend to pick up what they hear — and naturally, they imitate those everyday sounds, even if they’re not completely accurate.

Takeaways

When learning a new language, focus on communication first so you can interact with local people. That’s absolutely the right approach. Once you can communicate, the next step is to notice the differences in tones, pronunciation, and comprehension.

If you want to improve your Mandarin further, you can listen to my podcast and subscribe. In my podcasts, I speak with clear articulation, which helps you learn proper pronunciation — different from what you might hear in casual conversations, greetings at convenience stores, etc. Understanding the culture also helps you comprehend what people mean and the intentions behind their words.

From my podcast and the articles in this newsletter, you can see content presented from the perspective of a local Taiwanese about cultural insights. For beginners, an English version of each article is released following each Mandarin episode, so you can understand the content and learn more about our culture.

For those who want to learn Taiwan’s standard pronunciation and tones, here are some suggestions: