I’m travelling to Taipei in a month. I can read a little in simplified but want to learn as many useful traditional characters as possible before I go. Characters that will help me get around, order food, etc. Is the 101 list sufficient? Or would you recommend something else?
Skritter 101 might have a few good traditional characters worth studying, but it probably wont help too much for ordering non-basic foods and getting around town. I did a quick vocab list search on our site that did have a few lists you might find useful:
Taiwanese Breakfast List
台灣菜 Food words for Taiwan
早安廚房菜單 － Morning Glory Menu (General words, and Drinks section)
I would also recommend checking out @SkritterOlle post about learning simplified and traditional Chinese which should help shed some light on some of the basic differences between the two forms. Ximeng also shared a few lists in a similar topic that you might also find useful.
I hope you’ll find this info useful. Hopefully some others will share some good resources as well!
Enjoy your time in Taipei!
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I don’t have any lists to share, but if you any questions about Taiwan or Taipei I would be glad to help you. Definitely check out Xi Men Ding if you are into shopping, Shi Lin Nightmarket if you want to try great food, and head up the gondola to Mao Kong if you want a great view of Taipei 101.
If you plan on taking a lot of buses and the MRT, grab an EZ card, it will make traveling a lot easier. Buses in Taipei are different from other places, you actually pay when you get off of most buses there. There will be a sign above the driver telling you, 下 for when you get off and 上 for when you get on.
Overall, Taiwanese people are very nice, so don’t be afraid to ask someone for a little help if you do run into reading trouble.
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